Commander
by Lord Qwerty
Summary: Think of it this way, you are a general of an army. One day out of the blue you are told, your men and armour mean nothing in the way of war. Now you have been replaced by one woman in a machine. What do you do, your pride is on the line, do you fall in line or do you fight back?
1. Welcome Commander

_A new fanfiction about changing the details of the story to make the characters better. Cheers!_

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As a leader many things are expected. Some known, some unknown. They are meant to rally the troops, get them going, ready for the fight. With the advent of the IS though one person could overwhelm a conventional army. A commander was no longer needed on the field. Generals the world over found themselves weak and unprepared for this new problem. To those who supported the IS and the dominance it gave women and a reason to retire the great men who bleed their way up. To the world it seemed they went quietly into the night. But they left the light one for who ever comes to resurrect their legacy.

"Our mandate was to empower men to be stronger. We're down to petty kidnapping now."

"Yeah, but this boy's sister is a symbol of their power if she loses it would be a blow to their psyche."

"How so?"

"Enough with you two I say we let him go our minutes are numbered. I say we give him a parting gift"

"You mean the pendent?"

"Yes, it the only thing we have left and we cannot allow it to be lost to time."

Many things were now going through young Ichika's mind. 'Why do they want to hurt Chifuyu? Who are they? What are they going to do to me?'

The door to the room he was locked in opened. Ichika, being tied to a chair looked at the entering man.

"Kid I am sorry to have put you through this." The man said in a kind but forlorn voice. "Here let me untie you." He loosened the ropes and Ichika wriggled free. "Our time is up you sister is most likely on her way here now to rescue you. Our organization has fallen from it core values, as bad as we are do not shun our name or equality will never come. But here take this as a token of my sorrow." The man has Ichika a blue shield pendant with an eagle on it. "This is call the Commanders tool anything machine or otherwise will responded to you our hope was to get an IS core and see it the tool works. That will never happen for us, but you with that pendent will hopefully complete our dreams."

The was an explosion outside the room filling the air with smoke, Ichika blacked out. Next thing Ichika saw was his sister over him while he was laying on a bed inside a hospital. She had been crying, but she was peacefully asleep. Sitting up he looked around and felt a weight around his neck, it was the pendent. Feeling calmer now he drifted back into a restful sleep.

It had been a few month since the incident and one of his friends, Rin, would not leave his side. The two and their other friend Dan sat in the living room of Ichika's house talking a playing games. Ran sat to the side and the two boy sat next to one another going head to head in the latest game.

"One thing I have been wondering Ichika?" Rin asked

"Yes does it have to do with you making food?" Ichika asked off handed.

Blushing she replied. "No, no, that thing around your neck, what is it? You've been wearing it seen the incident."

Wrapping up the game with a curbstomp victory for Ichika, he set his controller down and pulls the pendent off from around his neck. He looks at it with a strange nostalgia. "Funny you should say that, that is actually when I got it. I mean while I was kidnapped, I mean."

"You're kidding me, you we're kidnapped and you came out of it with a cool looking trophy, I envy you." Dan laughed.

"So does it open like a locket?" Rin asked.

"Never tried." Ichika beings to examine it and noticed a little button on the side. "This looks like its it."

Pressing the button the enter room began to glow with a blinding light. As the light returned to normal levels a holographic projection of an old man sit on a chair appeared across from them.

"I am known as the Commander. This is a holographic recording from the United Earth's General's Association. When the IS began to take over the military, the greatest military minds formed this group to prepare for our return. If this is being open that means only one thing. One of our factions have fallen. You who have opened it are now in full control of this factions assets and relations with there allies. You are now the Commander, Good Luck." The hologram faded out and the open pendent had a small holoscreen with details and information on it.

"Uh guys what just happened." Dan asked.

"I believe we just we given control of an underground group with lots of money and people backing it up." Ichika said with a befuddled sigh.

"This could prove interesting." Rin grinned.

"Rin it took you long enough." Dan looked at her as she ran up to them. "The bus will be here any minute."

"Oh lay off her, unlike you she helps at her family business." Ichika sighed.

"Sor- sorry my mother wanted me to clean the whole kitchen." Rin said gasping for breath."So Ichika where are we going?"

"Well according to the pendent there is a warehouse under our control."

"Ooo so we're like mafia types now with secret bases." Dan said eagerly.

After a long bus ride to the harbor they sunk into the warehousing complex. They followed Ichika up to a warehouse near the far edge of the complex that overlooked the sea. On the door a slot for the pendent could be seen. Placing the pendent on the slot, the door unlocked. Ichika pulled at the handle to try to open it, but to no luck.

"Here how about all three of us try?" Ichika suggested. They all grabbed the handle and pulled. A creaking metallic wine was heard as the door opened. The three when inside and closed the door behind them.

"Anyone got a light?" Dan asked as Ichika pulled out the pendent. Like before the room was filled with a bright light, but instead of a hologram the lights in the room were turned on.

"Cool!" the three gasped at what they saw the warehouse was full of weapons and vehicles, ranging from scooters and pistols to tanks and drones.

"Welcome!" A female voice said.

"Who is that?" Ichika asks.

"I am the local AI for this installation, you may call me Lucy." On a screen a female face manifested itself.

"What is this place?"

"Your new base, commander. As being the first to come to any of the offline locations you are in charge of the whole Japanese network."

"We already know that the old man told us that." Rin snapped.

"Oh uh... Well what do I say now... You know you just ruined a speech I have been working on for the past four months..." Lucy looked flustered.

"A computer with emotions?" Dan asked. "Since when did we have this kind of stuff?"

"Oh, I know I am a failed supercomputer that gained sentence with the personality of a teenaged girl!" The computer, er, Lucy began to weep.

"Ok question?" Ichika asked.

Lucy perked up immediately. "Questions! I love answering them, what is?"

"What was this weapon to end the reign of the IS I keep reading about in the pendant's codex?"

"Oh that the EX-1! It's not here though." Lucy sadly said. "The powerpack is in England, with the faction there, the chassis is in America, but the weapons were stored here."

"Can we get it all here?" Dan asked.

"No, well not easily at least." the computer replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Rin asked.

"Before the Japan faction fell after a failed mission they sent those parts out to the other surviving factions to research way of making it cheaper to build." Lucy answered.

"Ok that make sense if you have one good weapon many weaker ones could equal it." Ichika started. "It's the old struggle of quantity versus quality."

"So even if the EX-1 is weaker many of them could fight against an IS and while they only have 400ish cores to fight with we could potentially have over hundreds of thousands and anyone could use them." Dan said excitedly.

"Commander call coming in from primary headquarters in DC." Lucy announced. The screen where her face is changed into a video feed of two men in their early twenties.

"Calling the Japanese base commander we just saw that you came back online please respond." One of the men asked.

Walking up to the computer Ichika grabbed a headset that was lying around on top of it. "Lucy patch us through."

"Completed speak when ready."

"Uh hello this is the Japan Faction Commander speaking." Ichika said nervously.

"So you guys are alive! Please turn on you camera so we can speak face to face."

Ichika gave a nod to Lucy whose face is now inhabiting a monitor off to the side. "Right away sir." The camera turned on and the other's got their first look at the Japanese Commander and his friends.

"You're just kids and one of you is a little girl no less!" One of the men exclaimed.

"Hey you got a problem with me?" Rin yelled fiercely.

"No." the other man said. "Ok my name is Ryan Deimos I am the Commander of the US Faction and with me is my number two Walter Faraday."

"Well I am the new Japan Commander Ichika Orimura and these are my friends Huang Lingyin, and Dan Gotanda." Ichika replied.

"That name sounds familiar, oh well doesn't matter, ok so what can we do for you?" Ryan asked.

"We have the pendent and would like to rebuild the EX-1 and mess around with it." Dan said. "er gather intelligence on more efficient way of building them." Rin slapped Dan upside his head.

"Well even if we wanted to we can't you guys do not have enough reputation in the network for that kind of operation. Though as a gift we could send some thruster packs and a mission to get you started off."

"What kind of mission?"

"I hear Berlin is quite nice this time of year."

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_Any questions about what is going on please ask also any ideas please tell me as well._


	2. Making Friends

_The Next Chapter is here my oh my!(I did these two in one day, do not expect this to happen again)(ever)_

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"Ok sis thank you, yes, the house is clean, no, thank you again, bye." Ichika hung up his phone.

"So what did you sister say?" Dan asked.

"She can get us a hotel room, but we're going to have to bunk up."

"Ok when do we leave?" Rin asks.

"Two days and you two have permission from you parents right?"

"I'll have to pull double shifts back home when we return." Dan sighed.

"Mine are fine with it as long as I bring back a souvenir." Dan gave Rin an evil eye as she giggled at his misfortune.

"Ok," Ichika started he pulled out a piece of paper and began to look off it. "to go over what the Americans want us to do when we get there, we are going to meet our contact in the area near a building called the Reichstag and from there we will be taken to the local HQ where we will get our supplies. Then that night we are going to infiltrate a German Special Operation base that was built over the German Association's Primary HQ. They have an IS so we are going to need to either be fast or quite. To complete this mission we must find our way into the remnants of the Association's HQ and activate it supercomputer with that we can find where more lost assets and groups are."

"So this is Germany. I expected more." Rin said as they walked out the airport.

"You're not impressed by much are you?" Ichika smirked

"Oh Ichika isn't that you sister." Dan asked.

"Yeah I asked if she could pick us up and take us to our hotel." The trio walked over to Ichika sister.

"So you have arrived." She said coolly "Huang, Gotanda good to see you again."

"Hello ma'am." They both say.

"How is my idiot brother doing?"

"I'm fine Chifuyu." Ichika happily says.

"Come on now I have a class to teach back at the German Academy in an hour" Chifuyu took the trio and drove them to their hotel which was the one closest to where they would meet their contact. As the three were getting out with bags Chifuyu pulled Ichika aside.

"Now I know you did not win a vacation here so how did you get here?" She asked.

"A friend of mine wanted to meet us here. Uh after you left I took up playing video games and joined up with a clan, I got Rin and Dan to join as well. My friend Ryan wanted to have a clan meeting and since a lot of the members were in Europe he picked Germany and paid for all of us to come." Ichika fibbed out.

"Well I like that lie better it molds the truth in at least." Chifuyu sighed. "I you need my help just ask and try not to get in trouble I do worry about you."

"Thanks Chifuyu." Chifuyu gave a slight nod and got back into her car and drove off.

"Ichika we need to go sign in and get our room keys." Rin said.

"Ok coming."

"So this is the Reichstag. There certainly isn't anything like this back home." Dan said as he, Ichika and Ran were milling around the German Government Building.

"So we are having a clandestine meeting outside one of the worlds most secure places." Rin noted.

"Well for one, our enemy expects us to be dealing in dark alleys." A French accented man in dark shades said as he walked up to the kids.

"Who are you?" Ichika replies.

"Sorry to frighten you, Ryan told me to look for three Japanese kids on with the Commander pendant on. I am Charles Dunois, but you can call me Charlie." The man finished.

"I thought we would be meeting the German Faction."

"No that faction died out so the Russian, Italian, and French split the area. Now come I'll explain what happened on the way to HQ." They followed Charlie to a black Rolls Royce. Charlie got into the drivers seat and Ichika and the others got into the back.

"Ok now that we are mobile and out of preying ears we can talk."

"So how many factions are alive?" Ichika asked.

"Well six in Europe, One in the Americas, about ten in Africa and now you in Asia." Charlie stated. "We have lost five in the Americas, we just lost Poland, and China was wiped out."

"How was the Chinese faction wiped out?" Rin asked.

"They blew themselves up taking apart an IS core, seems the cores have a self defense system."

"But one explosion could not have killed out an entire group." Dan pointed out.

"It can when you group only has ten people left. Most of that group fell apart from people leaving it."

"I could become the head of it!" Rin said excitedly.

"Why you're a woman why are you supporting us?" Charlie asked.

"Well as long as Ichika is in I will help him." Rin matter-of-factly said.

"Well that loyalty something up do not see much these days, she is a keeper kid."

"I would trust these two with my life." Ichika agreed. The car darkened. They had just entered an underground complex.

"Already much cooler than our base." Dan said jealously.

"These are old bomb shelters used by the Nazis. The German Faction retrofitted them just before they disappeared." Charlie explained. "What is your base?"

"A warehouse by a dock filled with ordinance." The car stopped as a few armed men gathered around it.

"Here is your stop these men with escort you to our base commander." Charlie said as one of the men opened the door to let the kids out. They walked through a few winding halls before making it to a large room with a map of the world on one of the wall.

"Ah you must be the Japan Kids, DC was certainly surprised about your existence and is even going to give you a free mission and toys." a man the base commander said. "Name's Andre Dupont, leader of the German side French Faction."

"Hello I am Ichika Orimura and with me is the rest of the Japan Faction." Ichika introduced himself.

"So have you been briefed on our current situation?." Andre asked.

"Sounds like our organization is about to die." Ichika says.

"And that is what I hope you will help us avoid. See we have two types of people in this organization old timers like us and newbies like DC and your people. All of us are going to have to work together to finish this fight."

"Wait," Rin says, "What exactly are you fighting for."

"Equality, with the IS women feel more dominant even though they are not. We want to build a weapon that will be equal to the IS and usable by everyone and anyone." Andre answers.

"So that's what the EX-1 is for." Rin gasps.

"Yes it's not perfect, but we are close."

"So what is our mission here and what supplies do we need?" Ichika cuts in.

"As you know you will be infiltrating a German Spec Ops facility that serves as the academy for their super soldiers."

"Wait the Academy, Rin, Dan pack up." Ichika yelped and Rin immobilized him.

"What is the problem?" Andre asked.

"My sister is working there, Chifuyu Orimura!" Ichika said nervously.

"We know, but you're not going in there to fight just to flip a switch." Andre tried to calm Ichika down. "DC has given you holographic stealth suits, thruster packs and a light particle shield, with you Commander's Pendant you shouldn't have a problem at all."

"Ok so sneak in flip the switch sneak out gain some fame within the network and go home sounds like fun." Dan said.

"Ok so for you loadout what can you kids do?" Andre asks

"I can use a sword." Ichika says.

"I know martial arts." Rin adds.

"I have practice with rifles." Dan notes. "What you guys thing I lay around all day and do nothing."

"Pretty much." Rin qubs.

"Ok when Charlie gets here he'll take you to the Armory and get your tools and then in about five hours you will be dropped off by a stealth helicopter just outside of the base. Good Luck Commander."

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_And so ends another ridicules chapter. Is this just me losing my sanity, or is this a half decent story? Please I need to know I am not all alone on the interwebs_!


	3. From Germany with Love

_I have nothing better to do so here is a steaming pile of words for you to read with your eyeholes_

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"Ok you may be the Commander of the Japanese Faction, but you still just a kid. So before I hand this advanced and expensive equipment tell me have you had and sort of training?" Charlie asked as he lead Ichika and the others into the armory. The room itself was filled with an assortment of weapons aged as far back as the Great War. The side they were on was filled with the last weapons advancement before the IS took over the market. From early coil guns to prototype laser rifles.

"I use to train with swords, but that was a few years ago." Ichika answered.

"Ok I may have a good tool for you to use, now where did I put it…" Charlie searched around in a rack of melee weapons. "AH-ha! Here it is." Charlie pulled out a black metal stick.

"A little stick, Ichika all will fear you." Dan joked and Rin almost fell to the floor laughing.

Charlie handed the stick to Ichika and pulled out one for himself. "Ok this is the "Stick" it was designed for riot control. I guessing you guy don't want to kill anyone so this will work for now." Ichika fiddled around with the stick and found a small button. Pressing it, it shot a bolt of lightning out of the end cascading towards Charlie who using his stick absorbed the bolt.

"You were saying." Charlie smirked. Dan and Rin had jumped back in fear of the bolt and tripped into each other and were now in a pile on the floor. After dusting themselves off they walked back to Ichika's side.

"Ok now young lady what's your poison?" Rin tilted her head in confusion. "Do you have any fighting skills." Charlie clarified.

"Oh why didn't you just say that, I am skilled in many forms of martial arts. My dad taught me most of them." Rin replied.

"CQC eh?" the Frenchman took up a thinkers motif. "It won't hurt to give her that then." he mumbled. Walking over to a shelf of hand to hand tools he looks and picks up two oddly shaped gloves, putting one on he walks back to the three and taps Dan on the back who convulses and falls to his knees.

"OWWW!" He moans in pain, near tears he mutters, "What was that for."

"That was an example of the takedown gloves. When activated the send a strong jolt of energy through the opponents body." Charlie explained with a grin.

"Ok now what's my toy?" Dan asks painfully as he stands up. "A have some markman training."

"That is an easy one, darts or a zapper?" Charlie asks leaning up against a table full of guns.

"I have had enough of electricity for one day give me the darts." Dan finally regaining his energy said. Charlie groped wildly behind himself on the table and pulled out a sleek black rifle and tossed it over to Dan, who almost failed to catch it.

"It is load with little darts the size of pins that are laced with a fast acting sleeping agent." Charlie explained. "Now that show and tell is over follow me to the next room." He lead the way through an adjoining door to a dojo-ish room where two men were fighting. One of the men was just hit to the ground as the the other went in to a coup de gras. Seconds before the two would make contact the man on the ground moves to the side and jumps into the air and steamrolls down on the other guy. With the fight over Charlie lead Ichika and the others past the two as they were talking about their fight. Entering into another room three body suits had been left out.

"Put those on and meet me over there" pointing to the next door. Noticing that the they were looking around Charlie asks. "Kids we don't have a changing room since most of us are guys. Just don't look at her and you'll come out with your balls intact." He walked off into the next room.

It took fifteen minutes for them to join Charlie. Rin's face was bright enough to be seen from orbit and the two boy, they were reactionless. The suits while being form fitting weren't immodesty tight. Charlie handed each a disk that fitted into a slot on their backs.

"Ok this is the holographic sight disruption kit. When activated it will blend you into your surroundings. To active it…" The three were gone. "Yeah to deactivate it you press that button again." The three reappeared with slight looks of desperation.

"Finally the last tool and then you guy can go play around with them until it's time to leave for your mission." Charlie paused. "Ok these are the movement packs, they use and advanced high efficiency fuel to propel you away from harm. It also comes with a Particle Shield to stop incoming objects. Don't know way the shield is not in its own pack, but I didn't help design them so I can't complain."

Ichika installs his sending him across the room. "Oh yeah it uses metabolic reading and movements to be activated so stay calm when you use them."

Mission One

Infiltrate German SuperSoldier Academy and Reactivate the German Faction's Supercomputer

-do not get detected

-there is no cavalry coming to save you if you get caught

-Warning Chifuyu Orimura is present stay far away from her

-Do not kill anyone the did nothing to use and we just want what is ours

Assuming Battle Field Control, Standby…

Silent like a mouse the helicopter dropped them off just a few yards from the fence line. The creeped up to the fence and used their thrusters to jump over. Running across a courtyard the dodged security camera. Even though they were cloaked intel suggested the cameras on the outside had full spectrum coverage, meaning they can see everything.

As they walked around looking for a way in a red light attracted their attention. One of the women on guard was out on a smoke break. So the sunk up behind her, Dan used his dart gun to put her asleep and then swiped her keys. A bit behind the guard was a doorway the was cracked open so she could get back inside. Ichika moved her so it looked like she had fallen asleep.

Walking inside the lights were off. It seemed as if they were in the barracks part of the base. They need to reach the other side of the base to get to the entrance to the basement. They tiptoed their way passed two patrol before ending up in the base's mess hall. Inside two voices were heard. The patrols were about to pass in front of the hall so they decided to go through it. That is when the saw the owners of the voices, a silver haired girl with an oddly colored eye and Chifuyu Orimura.

"Shoot it's Chifuyu." Ichika whispered.

"I can see that too." Rin whispered angrily.

"How about we take them down and continue through?" Dan asked in a whisper.

"Ok Rin you take the girl, I'll get my sister." Ichika said bravely.

"I'll back you guys up from here." Dan said taking up a firing position.

Ichika and Rin creeped up on the two and right before Ichika was able to activate his weapon the silver haired girl noticed him and was about to say something the Dan shot her and she went into a sleep almost instantly. Noticing the unnatural sleep Chifuyu turned around to be met with a ball of lightning to the face and with her last conscious thoughts saw a familiar looking face one that she couldn't put her finger on.

"I knocked out Chifuyu, I won." Ichka said excitedly. The patrols were not alerted and continued walking around.

They had finally reached the basement and found the switch. "Ok flipping switch now." Ichika announced to the group. Lights in the room went on one by one systems were restored and the screen said something was booting up. The loading bar reach 100% and then a disc popped out with words on the screen saying take this to LUCY.

"Does that mean the AI back at base?" Dan asks.

"Well we can give it to her to find out." Ichika notes.

The PA for the Base blared out, "Intruder Alert Authorize Personnel on the base. Lethal force is authorized."

"What did we do?" Rin asks. "Anyone that we knocked out would still be asleep."

"CONFIRMED it is Phantom Task attack with their ISs all IS users deploy to defend the base."

Through the chaos the three make it out and back to there LZ. Jumping on their ride they are told Charlie is waiting for their report back at base.

Mission Completed

"What the Hell happened that base lit up like a Christmas tree!" Charlie yelled. "We have a list of injured piling in. Even if it's not your fault what happened."

"Before we were able to escape the PA announced that a group called Phantom Task was attacking and that they were using ISs." Ichika defended himself.

"Wait Phantom Task. God." Charlie earned himself a forlorn look.

"Who are they?" Rin asked.

"They are the antithesis to us we want Equality and Freedom, they want Power and Domination. They are pure Evil. We need to repair the network and strike back at them." Charlie declared.

* * *

_Good? Bad? Meh? I though it was good. Well I'd better it's my own work. _

_Reviews are like crack I swear (moar please)_


	4. Meet the Paladins

_Have fun kiddies this is one of those stepping stone chapters with little action. So as a wise man once told me "Watch out for cops."_

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"POP!" The bottle of Champagne opened and the top flew across the room. Cheers were heard, cheer for a team of kids who against odds and logic were able to not only complete their objective, but were both able to get a hit on Chifuyu Orimura, and put their factions name back on the map.

"Kids." Andre says after taking a swig of wine. "With that supercomputer back online we now have secure communications with all the remaining Factions in the Network."

"Glory to the Network!" One man says raising his glass. His statement was accompanied with cheers. The communications officer walks up to Andre and whispers in his ear.

"You don't say that wimp Alcott just got back online. I thought he died." Andre muttered as the officer continued his message then walked away. "Ichika since you also in charge of a faction you had better come as well."

"What about us?" Rin asks.

"Sorry this is for Commanders only." Andre sadly replied. Andre lead Ichika into what looked like a meeting room with chairs lined up around a table. "Since we have the computer online once again we can use this room for meeting."

"Where do I sit?" Ichika asks.

"Oh you chair is the one with your flag on the back." The took their seats and in the chairs holograms of people appeared. Some had a similar pendent to what Ichika had meaning they must be the other faction commanders. One thing Ichika noted was the not all the chairs were being used.

The man at the head of the table stood up. "Good to see you all again. We seem to have both old face and new friends. For those who do not know me I am the second head of the network, Rodger Alcott."

"Alcott where did you find you balls?" a Russian looking man snickered.

"Come on that was one time, hell I fake my own death just to get away for her." Rodger yelled then hung his head down in shame. "Ok roll call. Force Commander and Chairman Alcott of the UK faction."

"Force Commander of Italy Deno Nicolo here."

"Force Commander of Russia Dmitri Pavlov here."

"American DC faction Acting Commander Ryan Deimos here."

"Base Commander over Germany, Andre Dupont here."

"Head of Anti IS affairs in Africa Ivan Corr here."

"Uhh Commander Ichika Orimura of Japan here."

Alcott sighed. "This is our smallest meeting yet and hell we had a kid and a green horn."

"Hey don't mock the kid he has a Commanders pendent." Ryan growled.

"Yes and his team just took on a base of IS users complete the objective and got out alive." Andre announced. Silence descended on the room as all eyes went to Ichika.

The Russian broke the silence, "It was your team turned the supercomputer back online?" he asked.

"Yes, but we had some help from Andre and Ryan. Ryan gave us our equipment and Andre let one of his subordinates gather intelligence for us." Ichika nervously answered.

"Well I'll be." Ivan said. "That is the most amount of teamwork I have ever heard of happening in the organization."

"Huh I thought you guys always worked together to reach you goals." Ichika asked confused.

"No." a new voice said. Where the French seat was a hologram appear. "We do not work together."

"Oh Felix shut up. Your head is so far up your arse that you think you see daylight." Andre said angrily. "Why are you even still with us?"

"Fine, fine I heard the call and I answered. My people are getting close to fully understanding the cores anyways I don't need this relic organization." His hologram left.

"Who was that?" Ichika asked.

"An arse." Alcott muttered.

"Felix Dunois head of the Dunois Corporation, you know Charlie is his son." Andre explained to Ichika.

"Well I would think if we worked more hand in hand we could actually get moving on our research for a weapon to match the IS." Ryan noted. "So as Commander of the US faction I ask for a movement for a reformation of this organization. To rebuild what we have and acquire what we do not."

"I second this suggestion." Dimitri nodded. "Without the French faction we'll lose the only research facilities left to us."

Alcott rubbed his forehead. "Ok all in favor raise your hand." A hands were raised. "Ok our reformation has begun I appoint Japan, America and Russia to head the reformation committee. I want this off the ground in a week."

"Alright this meeting is over Good Luck Commanders."

The holograms faded from the room and Ichika stood up and took a stretch. "So Ichika you and your team are going to have to assemble your ideas for reformation and send them to the others and they will do the same to you." Andre explained.

"Oh great more homework." Ichika looks at his phone for the time. "Shoot we had better get back to the hotel my sister is going to get us a ride back to the airport tomorrow."

"Ok I'll have Charlie get you back."

Next morning in the hotel the trio were tried.

"Staying up late is not what it is cracked up to be." Rin said with a yawn.

"Got to remember to thank Charlie for getting us here next time we talk." Ichika yawns as well.

"You two call me a lazy bum 'ha' I say." Dan out of all of them was the only one not ready to just fall back to sleep.

"Oh yeah that meeting I was in meet the other leaders of the Network and our faction along with the US and the Russians have been put on a committee to reform the organization." Ichika announces.

"What why us we do not know thing one on how to run a group." Rin jumps.

"Eh we ask Lucy for help after we have her analyzed that disc." Ichika says offhand.

"Not a bad plan. When will are ride be here." Dan asks.

"Don't know I can call my sister and ask."

"You sure that's a good idea." Rin says nervously

"She should be awake by now." Ichika gets his phone out and dials his sister number.

"Yes what do you want. I told you I have the report to you by tonight." a drowsy, angry Chifuyu picks up the call.

"Chifuyu it's Ichika when can we get a ride back to the airport."

"What I am in Germany how in the heck can I help you in Japan!" Ichika holds the headset away from his ear

"I am in Germany you dropped me and my friends of a our hotel yesterday."

"Oh yeah, it's hectic here things have been slipping my mind."

"What happened." Ichika asks already knowing the answer.

"The base was attack, I got knocked out by some devil, and one of my students is fuming at someone because she was not able to help her comrades to victory. I'll call for a taxi to pick you guys up and call me when you get back to Japan."

"Yes Chifuyu."

"Ok call me when you get home." She hung up the phone.

"She didn't know it was us!" The three did a little dance before packing up their things and got downstairs to wait for the cab.

"Ok let get started." Ichika said. The trio was lounging around in their warehouse hideout with Lucy. Lucy was busy dissecting the files on the disc and the kids were huddled around a table cooking up ideas for the reformation.

"I say they allow more women." Rin suggested.

"Ryan said they would deal with recruitment." Ichika alerted her. "We deal with inter-faction relations.

"Then I have a good idea." Dan started. "We could run it like a trust."

It took five days, 42 bottles of soda, more pizza than any of them would ever see again to finish their part. Lucy spent a day working out loopholes and simplification. And when it came time for them meeting everyone was surprised at how well the young Japan faction did and commended them as their new guidelines suggested.

As it stands the organization is officially dubbed Paladin Network and is split into four sectors.

Regional Commanders

Europe- Commander Alcott

Asia- Commander Ichika

Africa- Commander Ivan

Americas- Commander Ryan

The other commanders now still run their regions affairs, but are represented in the Network by these commanders.

Recruitment is up in all regions, but Asia due to it being both an IS bastion and only three members in the whole area.

* * *

_Question: Is this a good story at all feed, back people!? All I want to know is if my carpal tunnel is worth this._


	5. Cold Incounter of a IS Kind

_Ok this was a strange one to write, it evolved as I wrote it. I need to plan these out better._

* * *

"What! Lucy I can't hear you." Ichika yelled across the warehouse. He was alone today because Rin and Dan had to help out at their respective family business. Dan was still making up for the lost time from the Germany trip even though that was about a month ago, lazy bum probably hasn't been working the whole time.

"Well if you would take the earmuffs off you could!" Lucy yelled back. Ichika at the time was testing out the different weapons that were scattered around the warehouse.

"Well to be fair you told me to put them on."

"Then you would blow your eardrums out and Rin would never forgive me." Lucy pouted.

Ichika put away the weapon he had been using and walked into the main control room where it was easier to talk. "Ok what do you need?"

"We have an incoming call from our friends in Russia. It seems they need our help." Lucy reported.

"Put them on the main monitor." Ichika ordered.

"Ah Commander Ichika good to see you again." a Russian accented voice said.

"You not Russian, Ryan stop it." a not so Russian sound voice sighed.

"Dimitri, Ryan what is the Cold War back on and you looking for Japan to become one of you client state?" Ichika joked.

"No much worse than that." Dimitri gain a somber look.

"While drinking Vodka you tripped a pressed the button to launch the nukes." Ichika continued.

"As funny as that is a way to start a world war no we have a mission that could use your teams special touch." Ryan said soberly. "We found a secret lab that is a joint research station for American and Israeli IS production. We know it is located in the northern part of Alaska. We can get you there and back, but we need you and your team to infiltrate the base, grab whatever IS research data they are working on, and lower the bases defences so we can roll in and take what hardware they have, then get out before reinforcements arrive."

"Are there any IS on guard?" Ichika asked.

"One, a US 2nd gen model called the Lee-Grant Special." Ryan replied

"I never heard of that model." Dimitri looked at Ryan with suspicion.

"Well it was a failed model that was bulky and hard to move in. It has twin 88mm arty cannons and five coaxial miniguns, but it lacks flight." Ryan explained. "It was good for defending bases so that why it's stationed there."

"Well that sounds bad." Ichika gulped. "Hope we don't run into it in a dark alleyway."

"On the next topic, the Americans will be providing the manpower and we will be providing transportation." Dimitri said. "Oh yes if you do this mission for us we have a reward in store."

"Ooo. Well our only problem is that we can't get out of the country because my team has things they need to do." Ichika sadly said

"Well here is an idea, your part mission should only take a half a day so we could pick you up and have you back midday the next day." Ryan suggested.

"Ok I need to consult my friends. When does this start?"

"With or without you we are assaulting that base in two days."

"Ok I'll let you know soon." Ichika turned terminated the transmission from his side. "Lucy get our weapons and tools charged. I bring the others in tomorrow."

"Ok sir!" the AI said enthusiastically as she took control of a maintenance drone and zoomed off.

"You mean that they asked for us?" Rin asked. "Come on we knock out Chifuyu once and suddenly were the second coming?"

"Rin I don't think that's why they want us. Yes, while that may have earn us some reputation I think we are the only ones that can do it." Ichika replied.

"No they want us as a distraction so the guard will be focused on us when they attack, but hey sounds like a fun day though I'm in." Dan relaxed back into his chair.

"As much as this feel weird to say Dan I agree with you. I'm in as well" Rin sighed.

"Ok they will be picking us up in the docks near our base. On another note Lucy found a program on that disc that will allow us to wear our stealth suits in public." Ichika reported.

"How so? The particle field gives us a glow if we are not stealthed and the thrusters are kind of obvious." Dan pointed out.

"Really." Ichika's clothes shimmered and turned into the jet black stealth suit and then changed back. "I been have been testing it out for a few hours now and it seem to work fine."

"Ok Ichika can you do school clothes." Dan wondered. Wordlessly Ichika's clothes changed from his street clothes to his school clothes. "Cool man."

"You two do not even think about sneaking into the girls bathroom or else I'll use my stun glove on both of you." Dan cringed at Rin proposition.

The trio had meet early in the morning and set off to the docks. Arriving early they sat on the ground and waited. As they look out they could see an island in the center of the bay with a monorail tram connecting it to the mainland.

"Hey isn't that the IS Academy?" Dan asked.

"I think it is, why have we never thought to infiltrate that place yet?" Rin squinted her eyes trying to get a better look.

"Because we have barely been doing this for a month." Ichika yawns. A small boat pulled up an a man jumped out and started walking towards them. He walked up to the trio and looked them in the eye.

"Ichika Orimura?" he said gruffly.

"Yes?" Ichika said as they stood up

"You may call me Phantom. It is my job to deliver you to the ship. Follow." He coolly said. They followed him onto the boat and they got under way. After dodging the coast guard for an hour they made it out to open seas where Phantom then stopped the boat.

"We wait." he said lighting a cigarette.

"Wait, wait for what a large ship to burst out of the water and take us in." Rin yelled. Phantom turn to look at her raising an eyebrow when a large ship bursted out of the water and pulled them into a small docking bay on the side.

"Rin." Ichika said stund.

"Yes?" Rin responded.

"Murphy is not amused with you I think." Ichika said as the disembarked from the boat onto the ship.

"Ichika glad you could make it and you brought your team as well good, but where are your tools?" Ryan asked as he and Dimitri stood over a map of their attack zone, a mountain base with one entrance that is heavily fortified.

Turning of his stealth field showing his clothes were just a hologram. "It's almost like a second skin after we did some modifications to them." Dan started shifting between more outfits than a woman had faster than Ryan could blink.

"Ok thats new, you kids are more skilled than we thought." Ryan move over to a board and went to explaining the mission. "Ok strategy time, we are going attack this base with the combined might of the Russian and American Faction. The reason is because they are working on a 3 gen IS code named Silver Gospel. Attacking this base will slow down its R&D for a few more years. Also they are working on some prototype weapons that may come in handy in our own weapons research. This will be our first assault in four- no five years so hope luck is on our side. Ichika and your team will be responsible for taking down and automated defences and maybe distract that IS pilot."

Dimitri took over. "You will need to enter from this ventilation near the southern side of the base. Our forces are coming from the north. After you are inserted you will have 2 hours to complete your objective. Good Luck, Commander."

Mission Two

Sabotage the IS research base before the main force arrives

-Do not raise the alarms

-Steal as much data as you can

-Lower automated defences

-Take out hostile IS

-No rule of engagement

Establishing Battlefield Control, Standby…

Warning: Allied forces will begin their attack in (1) hour(s) and (59) minute(s)

Alert: Enemy Base detected proceed with caution

Ichika and his team had approached the base by hovercraft they were now wondering around the area where the entrance was supposed to be.

"I found it." RIn yelled over the hollowing wind.

"It's hard to see anything through this snow." Dan commented. Dan opened the vent and they jumped in.

The inside was corridors that faintly reminded them of the Paladin Base in German. They snuck around, but it seemed as if the area that were in was abandoned. Walking farther in they started to see shell casings on the ground and a brownish stain on the ground.

"I wonder why they left all these casings around." Dan committed as they walked past it. Walking some more they came across a security room that also was empty. They started to examine the room.

"Unless they has stealth suit too I think we are alone so far." Rin muttered.

"Here with this I can turn on the bases cameras and have a look around." Ichika said flipping a switch. The monitors on the screen turned on at once the cameras panned around in a usual lazy matter. No people showed up on any of them, just some scorch marks from a fire on one camera, a splash of that brownish paint-like substance, and many many bullet casings.

"What happened here it looks like a battle took place and who ever lived here lost."

"Nobodies home does that mean we won?"

"Well at least there will be no deaths on our side."

"Wait what's on camera four." Dan shouted. Ichika panned the camera on the spot that alerted Dan. It was in the barracks section of the base with many blotches of that brown stuff. Under a bunk a head had poked out and quickly went back under.

"Where is that?" Ichka asks. Rin quickly pulls out her map of the place.

"Uh the only place that would be is on the north side near the main entrance. By foot it will take us twenty minutes."

Alert: (1) hour(s) and (13) minute(s) until allies arrive

"Ok we need to step on it then for safety stay stealthed, but use the thrusters to boost your running." Ichika and his team blasted off to the other side of the base. The farther they got to the north side the more brown stuff and casings showed up. No bodies, no weapons, nothing.

Mid run Rin said. "This just keeps getting stranger the report said there would be at least a contingent of troops here and scientists and engineers. What happened?"

"Let's hope this person knows or else we are going to only have theories and nothing else. Get a move on." Ichika boost off again with the other two in tow. after getting turned around twice the trio arrived in the barracks. They walk in and investigate the room

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Ichika asks the room.

"We're here to help you." Dan follows suit.

"We know you are in here." Rin finishes. Out of the corner of his eye Ichika sees movement in one of the bunks. He points it out and they carefully surround it. Ichika bends down and lifts the sheet to reveal a young woman with a look of fear on her face. She lunges at Ichika, but is put down by a tranquilizer dart from Dan's gun.

"What's her problem? She looked scared, shudders to think what happened here." Rin sighed remorsefully.

"I just remembered something when blood dries is gains a blackish-brown color. Oh God what happened here!" Dan doubled over in realization. Ichika was just as disturbed as the rest, but did not show it, he refocused them on the task at hand.

"Ok tie her up and keep her under until reinforcements arrive they will know a better way to deal with her." he ordered urgently. "Hurry I want to get out of here as quickly too."

Alert: (0) hour(s) and (20) minute(s) until allies arrive

Ichika and Dan carried her slowly to the main entrance where they would wait for their allies to arrive. They found the head security office and lied her down on a couch in it. From the control panels they found a way to open the main door, but found any defences the base had offline.

The first allied convoy pulled up about 10 minutes later, the Americans had gotten here first it seemed the secured the entrance and through the cameras Ichika saw Ryan jump out joined by a few officers of his. They carefully moved around the main entrance jump that they had found no resistance.

Ichika told Rin and Dan to stay in the office and watch their captive. He used his suit to make it look like he was wearing similar uniforms to Ryan and his people. Walking around the corner he spotted Ryan and his team setting up a base camp just inside and had teams ready to secure the building and anything in it. Walking in he announced his presence with the greeting returned with lasers pointing at him from every corner.

"Ichika what is going on here, I know your job was to make taking this facility easy, but this is ridiculous." Ryan said calming down his men at the same time.

"It seems someone got here first and left the lights on for us. All I know is that there was a massacre here and we only found one survivor." Ichika responded. "Our survivor is going to need help as well she is, scared, we had to knock her out for now."

An explosion came from behind Ichika and a IS appeared from the hole. The pilot was the woman that they had knocked out. She leveled her guns at them, and then the IS deactivated with the woman falling down to the ground, to be catched by Ichika. Rin and Dan came running in just then to see Ichika setting the woman to the ground. Another convoy, The Russians arrived just then as well. The Americans were stunned at what just happened.

Mission Complete

The trio had just returned to the docks where the had first meet Phantom. He had join them and took them back home.

"I am to stay here and provide transport for you if you need." He said. "I'll be living in this house boat for the time being use the number I provide earlier if you need transport and I will be there as fast as I can.

"Ok thank you very much." Ichika thanked the man as they started back to Ichika's house.

* * *

_So longest chapter so far did anyone liked it? This is fun, but I am not sure where this story is going. It has it's own mind I swear, but it my have something to do with the music I am listen to. If anything in this story does not make sense please tell me. For those who have not noticed this is suppose to be a little like Xcom and CnC. I hope it is at least. _


	6. Phantom of the Mission

_From my mind into your head, I need some help..._

* * *

"Run! Run!" Ichika and Rin sprinted out on to a veranda of the villa. "We need to jump!" Ichika yelled. The two jumped off the veranda as an explosion ripped through the complex. Halfway down the cliff to chutes opened and the pair glided to safety.

"What in the world happened back there Ichika, Dan and I leave you alone for 5 minutes and we end up chasing you halfway around the world!" Rin yelled. She then tried to calm herself down. "Ok what happened."

"Well it started when Phantom came to me with a personal job…."

"Kid." Phantom waved Ichika over as they were working in the warehouse. All the weapons and vehicles had to be maintained by someone and so Phantom took it upon himself to do the work, while teaching Ichika a little bit of the trade. Also, as usual, these two were the only ones in the warehouse because Dan and Rin were working at their family's.

"Yeah what do you need?" Ichika asked as he came near Phantom who was at a table cleaning a gun. Phantom pushed the gun parts to the side and pulled a manilla folder out from his jacket. Opening it revealed a picture of a girl a bit younger than Rin.

"Who is this, a relative of yours?" Ichika asked.

Nodding Phantom says, "Sister, have not seen her for ten years, picture out of date."

"Oh, I haven't seen my parents before." Ichika tries to sympathize with the older man.

"It's fine, known where she is for years, wish to see her, can you help?" Phantom asks.

"Woah, woah, that mystery man has a emotions!?" Rin said as they continued to hike down the side of the hill they landed on.

"Yes you don't spend as much time at the base as I do." Ichika retorted.

"Well I have responsibilities in the real world as well." Rin points out. "But continue the story."

"Ok…"

"Sure I can, but Rin and Dan won't be able to help out though." Ichika told the older man

"That's fine, too many people harder job, leave note though, Brazil is where we start." Phantom said.

"Lucy did you catch that?" Ichika asks out loud.

"I record everything in the place, I even have footage of that time when you used the stealth system and it malfunction and turned into a dress."

"A dress?" Phantom stoically asked.

"A malfunction not my fault and Lucy thank you for not showing anyone that." Ichika thank the AI. "And when they come tomorrow tell them where we when."

"Will call if location changes." Phantom says.

"Ok I will let them know. Have fun on your trips." Lucy's avatar waves them off from the closest screen.

Phantom grabs a rifle off the wall and hands it to Ichika. Ichika hesitates to grab it. "Special Rounds, stun, no kill." he says coolly.

"Ok good." Ichika accepts the rifle. Phantom then leads Ichika down a set of stairs to an chamber with a pool of water. Phantom walks up to a console a taps a few buttons. The bottom of the pool opens up and a small submarine rises up.

"When did we have this?" Ichika looked with surprise.

"Recently, built it month ago." Phantom reports.

"You been here that long?"

Phantom nods as he opens the hatch and slides in. "Kid, come."

Inside the sub it's rather cramped, but then again Ichika has never been in one before. He was laying on a hammock in the crew's quarters. He had just woke up from a nap when Phantom walked in and sat next to a computer turning it on. Again Phantom waved Ichika over. "Come."

"What do you need?" Ichika yawned.

"Two hours from Mexico. Objective is IS facility near coast. Steal data file #102021. Return. Go to next place." Phantom explained.

"I thought we were going to find you sister." Ichika asked.

"Lied, not about sister. I know who knows where she is." Phantom replied.

"Who?"

"Shadow knows."

Ichika Solo Mission One

Infiltrate Mexican IS base

-Enter base

-Steal files

-get out

-Phantom needs these files for unknown reasons

Establishing Battlefield Control, Standby…

"Ok Phantom I just entered the base where do I go from." Ichika whispered into his radio.

"Find Commanding Officer, female, steal card, find CO's office, radio silence." Phantom replied.

Ichika started to sneak around the base. Passing patrols and wondering scientists, but no one that would look like the commander. The white walls of the interior of the base made it look more like a hospital than a military installation.

'Where could she be?' Ichika thought to himself.

"Commander to the control room, Commander to the control room." an announcement came across the base's PA.

"Well that's convenient." Ichika said out loud just a patrol was passing him. 'shoot!"

"Did you say something?" one guard asks.

"Huh? Sorry I wasn't paying attention." The two walked off. Ichika sighed at that. Walking around a bit more he found a map of the base posted on the wall. Examining it Ichika was able to find his way to the control room.

"Ok what why did you interrupt my nap to call me up here?" a woman, most likely the base's commander said.

"Someone has infiltrated our base ma'am." another woman said.

"Ok why haven't you raised the alarm?" the commander said.

"Well this person is like a ghost we know he's here just not where he is." Ichika seeing that the two were distracted snuck up on the woman and carefully searched her for the card.

"Ma'am where is your authorization card? It's not on you ID tag."

"I left it in my office."

'Office, office.' he though. 'Oh yeah its nearby.' Ichika snuck off again now towards the CO's office. Find the office he makes his way in finding the card on the table and the computer unlocked. 'Now where is that flashdrive.' Ichika patted around his pockets and pulled out a small thumbdrive. He put the drive into the computer and activate the program on it. It began to download the selected file. Then it came, the alarm when off and the CO and that other woman bursted into the room and looked around.

"We know you're here come out or we shot to kill." the CO growled. Ichika quietly readied his rifle. and crouched behind the desk. The other woman walked in and started to search around. She got to the other side of the desk and 'bang' Ichika stunned her. Then he popped out from his point only to be shot by the CO. It would have killed him, but his particle shield absorb the damage. Oh yeah just as a note Ichika can't use his cloak if his shield is on. After stunning the CO he checks the computer to see that the file has finished downloading. Taking the drive he then turns on his cloak and starts he escape from the base.

Mission Complete

Rin sighs, "Ok that was two weeks ago then. How did you end up here?"

"Yeah Ichika you go off and do fun stuff without us." Dan came in over the radio.

"Where are you Dan?" Ichika asks.

"Oh with Phantom back at port, Ryan was the one to get us a ride here." Dan replies.

"Ok Ichika continue explaining yourself." Rin said sickly-sweet.

"Good, files good, Shadow will like." Phantom said.

"Ok where are we going now?" Ichika asked.

"To Azores. Shadow contact lives there."

"Ok I am going to take a nap." Ichika when back to his bunk a shut his eyes.

Opening his eyes he felt different. He heads to where Phantom was driving to find that there was a window there and it showed the bright blue sky. Phantom was flying the sub?

"Sub is plane, plane is sub." Phantom said like it explained everything.

"Ok?" Ichika sat down in the co-pilots seat. Suddenly an explosion went off just left of the nose of the sub-plane.

"No worries, F-76 fast but lightly armed." Then another explosion went off, then a grey IS past by them. "Now we have problem. Raphael Revive, nasty piece of work."

"What can we do? You do not seem to concerned."

"Prepared for death, know you are not. I fly, you man gun." Ichika's chair slid down into a darkened room that then lit up with a 360 view of what is around them. The IS was flying circle around them. A circle appear around the plane and the IS.

"Press red button to fire missiles pull trigger to shoot main gun." Phantom yelled. One missile away and it lands it target, the ejection seat blasts out as the fiery craft goes down. The IS pressed it attack and lands a direct hit on the sub-plane. Ichika fired back at the IS out of the whole volley on missile landed a hit destabilizing the IS slowing it down.

"Kid going into water again." Phantom said as Ichika came back into the cockpit.

"Ok how much long until we arrive?"

"Will have to lay low, for time. Bahamas sound nice?"

"Sure I guess."

"And that's why I was gone for so long. I had to hang out on the beach for a week before the alert was taken down." Ichika sighed.

"So you were stuck in the tropics and you seem sad about that." Rin facepalmed.

"Man you have problems first your kidnapped then put in charge of an organization now you're stuck on an island." Dan said.

"Ichika is that you?" Ryan cut into the radio channel.

"Oh hi you lead them to me?" Ichika said.

"Well your trip to the Bahamas was all over the news well not any public channel. The underground was both laughing at the failure of an IS and the IS being stopped by a simple missile."

"Ok Ichika please continue your story."

"Ryan how did you find me?" Ichika asked as his fellow leader walked up to him.

"Oh NSA see all, we watch them." Ryan said coyly. The two were currently in a secret dock that belonged to the Paladines. "And the fact that you arrive at a base in my territory."

"Er hehe well er…" Ichika gave a sheepish look.

"Well since you're heading out now, anything you need?" Ryan asks.

"Oh could you call my base a tell them where we are going. Hey Phantom you say we are changing destinations?" Ichika yelled into the sub.

The external PA for the sub came on, "Yes Spain, left coordinates in control room of base."

"Yeah tell them we head for Spain!"

"And so we found out that his sister was living well in Spain working as a scientist for a local bio-medical institute." Ichika finished up his story.

"That still does not explain why we are in Nicaragua." Rin sighed.

"You know after South Africa I lost track of what we were doing…"

* * *

_Yes, should I just do a time skip to Ichika with a IS or are you people liking these stories? Please help me before it's to late!_


	7. Man vs IS

I see you have discovered the latest chapter in the smash hit "Commander". I the author welcome you to these lands and wish you many sons...

Or you could just enjoy reading this that works as well.

* * *

"Rin."

"Yes Ichika?"

"Remember this you are always welcome here."

"Thanks."

"Well good luck in China hope you make lots of friends."

Three weeks later…

"Man this just isn't fun any more. Ever since Rin left nothing has happened!" Dan sighed. As usual Ichika and Dan were hanging out at the warehouse.

"Lucy anything does Andre or Alcott need any help. Does Ryan want a dog walked anything." Ichika pleaded.

"You two... Andre and Alcott have gone quiet after they raided a Italian IS base and I will not contact Ryan again…" The AI replied.

"Oh come on that Skynet joke was in jest, you're to nice to want to raise an army of robots to fight humanity and remember Ryan is an American." Ichika explained.

"Oh that interesting." Lucy said. "Here you should see this." One of her screens started to stream the live news.

"And this just in news of an IS being defeated has been leaked governments assure these rumours have no basis. Wait, we are receiving more news… we have video footage of the IS's defeat." A video showing an IS being blasted by an odd looking plane is shown. "Is this the end of an era is the IS now defeatable by conventional means, only time will tell."

"Uh Phantom, is that the plane-sub?" Ichika asks. Phantom simply nods.

"Well at least the world's view of the IS is damaged should make it easier for us to move." Dan noted. "Well not us in particular since we have no missions."

"I guess we could sort through our factions holding to figure out what we have." Ichika said.

"You mean this warehouse is not the only thing we have." Dan gawked at Ichika.

"Yeah this was a fully fledged group before it was destroyed."

"How long have you know about this?"

"Since we started Rin knew as well."

"That's what we could have been doing this entire time." Dan was fuming.

"Ok then, Phantom bring in those boxes papers." Ichika yells into the next room.

"And something to drink!" Dan pales at the word boxes.

"So we own a bunch of houses in the mountains. They are being rented out to pay for other things." Ichika read.

"Ok anything else we could use or explore or have fun doing stuff there?" Dan asks.

"There are five other warehouses across the country we own, but nothing in them."

"We already have our 'cool base' what else?"

"Er a manufacturing company...what else. Oh! You'll like this. A government funded, IS R&D firm called Kuromochi Machinery Development and, get this, it seems they have an IS core and the frame third gen IS." Ichika said as he read through the file.

"Ok that does, it how do we get in there?" Dan sat up to give his full attention.

"Let me see… Lucy!" Ichika say to wake up the AI

"What?" she said grumpily. "I told you I want to sleep for a while."

"How do… can you sleep?" Dan asked.

"No its more me going through a sorting files to make accessing them easier, I guess it is analogous to a dream, anyways, what do you need?" Lucy's avatar appeared on the screen next to them.

"We want to access to a top IS R&D company that we own."

"Oh Kuromochi the access cards are over in the storage room on the box marked access cards." Lucy said.

"I never would have thought to look there." Ichika said authentically stunned.

"Ichika if you were any more dense about these things you would be a neutron star." Dan sighed.

"Me? Dense? Na I just play the fool sometimes, but I know exactly what's going on."

"Does that include Rin?"

"Yes, a blind man could see that she was had a crush on me, but I just love messing with peoples emotions." Ichika grinned

"Ok... now when do we go?" Dan asked.

"I say next weekend, Chifuyu's coming home and school is starting. So yeah next weekend." Ichika said.

"Could you repeat that."

"Sure we meet at Kuromochi next week."

"No did you say you sister is coming home?"

"Yeah found out about a week ago she's finished with working in Germany and is coming here to do… actually I'm sure what she's going to do here."

"You didn't think to tell me that a person who was in a base we attacked and inadvertently got some of their people killed, that, that was not on the list of things to tell me. I reaffirm the star comment." Dan said nervously.

"Eh don't be so worried. No one besides you, me, Rin, Charlie and Andre knows that we were there." Ichika said trying to sound comforting.

"I going home, to much stress. See you at school Ichika and actual wear the clothes and not the suit."

"Ok fine you're no fun."

"It would be weird if the particle shield flare at school. Well good bye." Dan left Ichika in the warehouse.

"Did you see Dan's face when I told him about Chifuyu, ha golden." Ichika laughed.

"What am I going to do with you?" Lucy sighs. "Oh yeah, check your pendent now it may have some interesting information for you."

"Ok. I'll see you later." Ichika leaves as well.

Ichika arrived back at his house. "Well Chifuyu due anytime now, better hid the stuff."

If Ichika was a normal teen who was left home alone he would be frantically cleaning every inch of the house, but due to the fact that he is apart of a secret organization he was hiding his guns, and his suit, and anything that would identify him as apart of this secret group. He wrapped up 'chores' and layed down on his bed grasping the pendent in one hand.

"Last time I used this I was give a job, I wonder what's next." Ichika activated it.

"Ichika? Ichika can you hear me is this thing on?"

"Lucy?"

"Yep that's my name."

"We do have radios to talk with why makes this so special."

"Nothing I just tied in with it to help explain the new feature to you."

"And that would be?"

"Deployment!"

"Which does?"

"Exactly what is says on the tin you can deploy and use any weapon you already own, try your stun 'stick'."

"Ok. Stick deploy!" Ichika said. A glow of light in his left hand and his stun baton was in his hand ready for use.

"Ok to get rid of it simple let go of it."

"Wow that is cool, any other tricks."

"Say activate stealth suit."

"Activate stealth suit." Ichika became invisible to the eye. "Deactivate stealth suit?" Ichika became visible.

"Nice, good to know you can figure it out, the pendant has all your tools stored and ready for action." Lucy said happily.

"Ok I know this breaks some sort of law in science, how did it create the tools?" Ichika asked.

"Same why a IS does, a matter to energy transformer. Actually it uses a prototype IS core, fun fact the prototypes could be used by males and females, but have less power than current models." Lucy informs Ichika.

"Huh and so the pendent is like an IS in standby mode?"

"Yep glad to see you've been reading up on the opponent."

"Well how else are you going to win?"

"Run in head first half cocked." Lucy deadpanned.

"To be fair that was one time and I thought I would win." Ichika noted.

"Ok good luck at school." Lucy sign off from the transmission.

"So this is Kuromochi." Ichika said looking at the building. "I'd thought it be bigger."

"Oh stop spouting overused lines and lets go inside." Dan sighed and started to push his beaming friend in the door.

"Sirs this is not a public building I going to ask you to leave." a guard walked up to them as they came inside.

"It's ok we belong here." Ichika said with a smile and started to walk past the guard who then proceed to step in front of him.

"Sorry only those with proper identifica-" the guard mouth dropped as Ichika and Dan pull out their cards.

"Oh sorry, sorry, sorry, sirs! I did not know of your positions let me tell the head admin you are here!" The guard went scurrying back to his desk and picked up a phone. He seemed to be being yelled at on the line a first, but when he mentioned the cards it when quiet. Ichika and Dan wait in anticipation for the call to end. Then the guard hung up and walked back over to the two.

"Ok so what's your boss saying?" Dan asks.

"You two are to take the Elevator up to the 32nd floor and meet the head administrator." the guard said carefully.

"Yes we're in!" Ichika said in joy.

They get in and take the elevator up the the 32nd floor. The two were giddy at the prospect of seeing how ISs are made. The elevator landed on the floor and the doors opened leading them to a reception hall with a lone secretary at work.

"Welcome the admin is wait for you head through these doors please." She motioned to the doors behind her and when back to work. The two enter through the door to see a large office with a desk and a panoramic view of the city. A man stood looking out the window smoking a cigarette.

He takes the cigarette out of his mouth and says. "Is the light still on?"

"It never went out." Ichika respond. The man turns around and starts coughing.

"I hate cigarettes, the make me sick." he says.

"Then why were you smoking them?" Dan asks.

"Did the view of me looking out the window not look mysterious and badass." the man rationalizes. "Ok now down to business I see that the network is still around, what is it called now the Paladins?"

"Yep and we're what's left of the Japan faction." Ichika says.

"Well good job for staying alive I guess. I'm Kai Toshitala head administrator of Kuromochi and a former member of the Japan faction. I left to work here and provide information to you guys if need." Kai said. "So whatcha want?"

"Well I guess we just want to see the IS you've made."

"Ah yes Byakushiki she's a tender soul, just not very bright." Kai said sadly.

"What do you mean by that?" Ichka asks.

"We tried to make a fourth gen frame, but fail horribly." Kai shudders. "I feel sorry for the person who gets her."

"Again why?" Dan asks.

"You better just come see." Kai lead the two out of his office into the elevator and down a few floors. They enter a lab like room where the IS knees like a knight awaiting it's princess.

"No bad looking, I even like the paint color." Ichika examines it from a distance.

"Well it has it power core out so it's inactive." Kai reports.

"So what's it problem."

"Well it's fast does high damage, but has low health to sum it up. And adding on to that the only weapon it has it a sword." Kai sighed.

"Question, everything that happens here is kept secret right?" Ichika asks.

"Oh god what are you going to do Ichika." Dan mutters.

"Er Yes why do you want to know?" Kai awkwardly asks.

"I want to fight an IS."

"I knew it, I knew something stupid." Dan sighs.

"Sure that can be arranged, Actual the Representative Cadet for Japan is here in the building help us out. Why she's here, I have no idea." Kai says

"Probably to advance the-." Ichika was hit in the stomach by Dan who give a disapproving look.

"Huh? Oh well pick him up and follow me." Kai says. Kai leads them back to the elevator down to the base and into a large domed arena like place. They came into what looked like a control room for the arena.

"So where your pilot?" Ichika asks.

"I'm right here." a soft spoken voice says from behind. The men look back to see a young girl walks up to them. She had a IS pilot's suit on and strangely large pins in her hair.

"Ah Kanzashi glad you could make it." Kai said warmly to the shy looking girl.

"I heard you wanted me to duel someone to test her abilities." she said.

"Ah he not she." Ichika remarked.

"What men can't pilot ISs, are you crazy." Kanzashi said with some shock in her voice.

"So crazy it just might work." Dan sighed out.

"Dan this was a complete logic decision." Ichika said. "What are you scary some man is going to beat you precious IS?"

"I am scared, but its more for you." she said worriedly.

"Dan punch me." Ichika said and was immediately on the ground with a nice brush on his cheek.

"Ok? Now I am terrified. Kai is he suicidal?" Kanzashi asked. Kai shrugs his shoulders.

Ichika getting back up to his feet. "Ok try it now." to which Dan punches him once again, but this time it fails to connect hitting a glowing shield instead.

"Idiot if you're going to use that activate it before you ask me to hit you." Dan said as he nursed his now bruised hand.

"Oh they finally got that shield working haha."Kai laughed.

"Ok now I feel better knowing that you will not instantly become a splotch on the wall it I hit you." Kanzashi says.

"Ok meet you on the field of battle!" Ichika says joyfully.

"20?" Dan asks Kai.

"Your on."

The field was large to say the least. It had two main entrances on each side for IS to fly in. Ichika was now on the ground of one side sitting waiting for Kanzashi to come into start the fight. He then saw her coming out from her entrance using the Uchigane, the Japanese "mass production model".

"Ok ready fight!" Kai said from the control room.

"Ichika to be fair I won't fly ok." Kanzashi said to him.

"Ok thanks that would have been a pain. Deploy rifle." Ichika said back as a rifle appeared in his hands. The two sprinted at each other, flesh versus metal. As they got close Ichika used his thrusters to dive under Kanzashi's IS and flipped around to take a few shots at her.

"Nice for a conventional weapon you took a few points of my shield." Kanzashi conjugated him as she flipped around and swung her sword at him, barely missing him. He boosted back away from her and opened fire which she avoided.

"I know though if you we're to hit me I'd go flying, unhurt but dazed." Ichika said. He then throw a grenade at her forcing her to avoid it and fall into his line of fire. She responded with another charge with her sword which Ichika avoided and took the time to pop a few shots off before creating distance between the two.

"Ok one man is holding out against an IS with just a rifle." Kanzashi sighed as she charged again.

"Sounds like this is a battle of attrition." Ichika yelled as he dived to the side as she slashed his sword at him.

"What are you talking about I can't land a hit on you and you're chipping away at my shield."

"I am just human my stamina will only go so far." Ichika huffed out avoiding another hit. He fired back at her as he dived away. "Deploy defence turret." Ichika throw out a metal box that opened up into a machine gun with a shield around it. It opened fire on Kanzashi back as she chased after Ichika. It knocked away a few points before she turned her attention to it. She it the shield once and it crumbled once and with the second hit was destroyed.

"What using metal boxes against me?" she yelled.

"Yep." She charged at the fleeing boy with her sword extended forward glancing his shield as he shot her the whole way.

"What's your health?" Ichika asks as they stare each other down.

"200 points, you?"

"2 hits at most." Ichika breath was irregular and harsh. Kanzashi charged at him and he dodge under her again shooting her in the back once more. Ichika lands but all most falls in fatigue. She charges once more and lands a hit on the tired boy.

"You ok?" she asks.

"No I think I'm going to end it here, good night." Ichika promptly faints and falls to the ground to be caught be Kanzashi before he his the ground. Returning to her pit room Dan and Kai were standing by with a medical team waiting.

"He lasted 20 minutes in the ring with an IS that kid is a damned powerhouse." Kai said.

"Nope… just… a few tricks." Ichika mutters out.

"Ichika go to sleep you're hurt." Kanzashi says.

"Ok cute girl… sleepy time." Ichika fell asleep and was lifted on to a gurney and was taken to the medical wing. Kanzashi was able to hid a slight blush on her face when she face the other two men.

"So what did you think of the fight?" Kai asks.

"It was intense, I thought one lone man with a few tricks was just a joke you guy made to mess around with me." Kanzashi sighed in fatigue. "Who is he?"

"Ichika Orimura." Dan said.

"I'll remember that name."

* * *

HAHAHAHA the IS is not as power full as was once though. huh, this isn't canon!? Ok... that does not help, but to be honest the IS could not be as powerful as stated in the story the world should have more powerful technology.


	8. China Plan

Yes, welcome back my children. My life is full of boredom and I will expand my empire to teh inter-webs!

* * *

As things stand, Paladin a secret organization wanting to bring back the good old days of the military had fallen into disarray. With factions across the world breaking apart and going dark. The Japanese faction in a last ditch effort to make a name for themselves kidnaps one Ichika Orimura. Realizing the mistake they had made the gave him the Commander's Pendent. A piece of technology so advance the IS looked like a rock in comparison. Ironically as it seems most of it's functions were inactive at the time. One day while with his friends, Rin and Dan, he was playing around with it and it opened, giving him a message telling him the he was not in charge of the Japanese faction and showed them the way to the faction HQ. Arriving there they met the AI, Lucy, a construct who out of boredom achieved sentences. The trio then helped to reactive the organizations worldwide network. Things have finally settled down after a brief bit of chaos. Rin has left for China with her Parents and Dan is the only one left out of the trio. They have also been joined by the stoic and calm Phantom and made contact with, Kai Toshitala, a former member of the Japanese Faction.

Ichika and Dan where hanging out at the warehouse once again. It had become near habit to come here both after school and on the weekend. It had been a little over a year and a half since this all started, four month since Rin left. Rin was a little ball of energy that kept them going and with her gone laziness had set in like the plague. Ichika now to a peak in his physicality was almost strong enough to take on an IS and win. Dan had tempered his aim and with help from Phantom was now an ace sniper. When they would go off and do jobs for the network they had a zero kill ratio. No deaths were allowed. Though the fact they had school only allowed them to do jobs on the weekend. Dan's parents were worried that he had gotten involved in a gang, but with a visit from his 'employer' Kai those worries were doused. The phone in the warehouse when off. Only three people knew that number and two of them were in the room.

"You don't think…" Ichika looked over to the phone.

"Who else…" Dan shrugged his shoulders. Ichika walked over to the phone.

"Hello?" he said cautiously.

"Gezzz Ichika one more ring and I would've had to dial the number again." a energetic voice said.

"Rin? Rin! How are you." Ichika said happily, "And why are you calling this number?"

"Well two things. I think I found the remnants of the Chinese faction, but because I'm a girl I can't get in." Rin said.

"Ok we can help with that and the other thing." Ichika motioned for Dan to listen in.

"My uncle got me into IS training, so I'm on the inside now."

"Ha our little planted agent." Dan laughed.

"Dan you're there as well!"

"This is the base…" Dan noted.

"Ichika could you help me out, I want to put the Chinese faction back on the map, but the people are too unmotivated."

"Dan?" Ichika said getting a grin on his face.

"Oh God Ichika no!" Dan getting an idea of what Ichika wants to do.

"What!? What's going on!" Rin said out into the fray.

"Let's go fights some ISs. Phantom get you plane ready we're going to China!"

"*sigh*" Rin hung up the phone.

"Rin what's up?" her mother asked.

"Do you remember Ichika, mother?"

"Yes the boy you spent a lot of time with."

"He is coming over."

"Oh will he need a place to stay?"

"No, just don't worry about him." Rin flopped down on her couch.

"Oh yeah Rin." her mother said.

A muffled acknowledgment came from her mouth.

"You going to be moving into your own apartment next week when you began your IS training… really falling asleep on me."

"Ichika what are you planing?" Dan asks.

"Well we need to test our abilities against an IS right?"

"I guess."

"So we hit the Chinese IS training ground then we go contact the Chinese faction remnants and get Rin in as our liaison and spy."

"Phantom!"

"Yes…" the quiet man says.

"You're going to run air support for us." the man nods.

"Dan since there base is near a forested hill you get to run sniper support."

"Wait how do you know that their base is near a hill?" In response Ichika used his pendent to create a holographic display showing the base.

"When I wear it I can call information from it at will." Ichika explained.

"Oh so that's how you seem to know everything anymore."

"But it's also the reason I've gone a little crazy basicly TMI."

"Plane is VTOL, can pick you up, courtyard. Phantom says.

"Good evac plan." Ichika clasped his hands. "Ok our cover story, we're on a job for Kuromochi going to met people in China, Kai probably knows someone there anyways."

"I guess I'll let him know about the plan." Dan walks off to call their 'boss'.

"Phantom we need EMP rounds they seem to be the most effective against IS shield, and when they hit a human it just stuns them so that's a plus." Ichika said

"Ok."

"Where is she, she knows we don't know the language." Dan said as they waited outside the flight terminal.

"Rin will be here don't worry. Ok remember the plan?"

"Yes she show you the base and you get to met with the IS company over here. During which time I will place charges down around the base in non-critical locations. I blow them and in the ensuing chaos you pick a fight with some ISs." Dan deadpans.

"Good we're on the same page here. Well look who it is." Ichika stood up a greeted Rin as she approached.

"Ok who are you guys now, I mean my uncle has a meeting with you and I have to escort you there." Rin almost giggled.

"Just a rep from another place." Ichika did a slight bow.

"Ok you two follow me." Rin is still trying to contain herself. She lead the two into a limo where they sat down and started to talk.

"Ok Ichika I knew you two were coming, but when I got the job to escort a IS company rep, I expected two old dudes in suits not my friends in street clothes." Rin said.

"Street clothes?" Ichika used his suits stealth functions to change into a tuxedo. "I see no such thing."

"Is it just me or has Ichika changed." Rin whispered to Dan.

"Yeah, he is currently on an information high."

"Huh?"

"Rin I have a case of TMI on everything." Ichika filled her in.

"And his hearing is better as well." Dan whispered back to Rin.

"Only when i'm bored."

"So this is the Chinese IS base." Ichika muses.

"One of many." Rin said. The base was just like the map he had, Dan had already disappeared to do his mission. The forested hills just where they should be.

"Nice place, shame though." Ichika said.

"Shame on what?" Ichika never let her onto the plan.

"Nothing I bet you Uncle is waiting for us."

"Ok follow me sir." Rin said sarcastically. She lead him into the building. A woman approached them.

"I know your young Rin, but you're really not suppose to bring your boyfriend on base." She said snidely

"He not my boyfriend!" she admittedly profest.

"Ow Rin that hurt," that gained a glare from her. "No I am here business with the Base's IS chief."

"Ah aren't you a little young to be working." the woman said.

"Aren't you a little old to be unmarried." Ichika slapped back. That got a giggle out of Rin and a snicker from Dan who was sneaking by at the time.

"Hmmm, boy if you were ten years older…" The woman walked off. Rin continued to lead Ichika deeper into the base.

"That was the bases Drill Officer for the ISs. I'll get payback for that in the morning" Rin sighed as they walked on.

"You know this just is not as fun as the Alaska Job…" Ichika sighed as well.

"Well life is not guns and roses." Rin said.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Oh here is his office." Rin stood in front of the door. She straightened herself to look more presentable. "Ok let's do this." The two walked in.

Meanwhile outside with Dan

"I'll place one charge here… and one here… and wait, no it can't be…" He looks up to the sky and see three IS hovering off a bit they were grey not the colors of the Chinese, but of the…

"So Kai's still in business eh…" Rin's Uncle scratched his chin. "Well that man's like a cockroach can't kill him."

"I'll let him know the sentiments." Ichika said.

"Ichika." Dan's voice came in over his ear phone.

"Sorry sir my I step outside to take a call."

"Sure." Ichika got up and left the room.

"What do you need?" Ichika whispered.

"Phantom Task is here they are about to attack the- *BOOM* scratch that they are attacking the base." Dan said.

"Get to cover in the hills hit them hard and tell our Phantom to hit them as well." Rin and Rin's Uncle rushed out the office when they heard the explosion.

"Mr. Orimura we need to get to safety they hit our IS hangers and are making their way this way." Rin Uncle motioned them away.

"I can help them Uncle."

"No you have only had it for a few days you need more training." He grabbed her and they started to run down the hall. The hallway then collapsed between Ichika and Rin and her Uncle.

"Ichika." a muffled cry came. "Backtrack a bit and you can get into the maintenance shaft try an make it to the commander center."

Ichika ran back a ways, but only found the ruins of the shaft. He looked around and tried to remember the layout of the place. The only way to the command center was through the main courtyard, where all the fighting was taking place…

"Well might as well test it out." Ichika sighed. This fight was not on his terms and against an unknown enemy this would be tricky.

He activated his shield and holo helmet Lucy helped to craft. 'Like some action hero.' Ichika thought to himself. Racing out to the courtyard a Chinese IS was out number two to one. The other Chinese IS were damaged in the first attack and their pilots hiding around the base. Two IS took on a base full of military IS and won that was new even for Ichika. He charged at one of the enemy ISs and used his thrusters to slam into her. The IS now dazed and confused put up a fist to cuffs fight even though her IS was a ranged model. With expert level skill Ichika deactivated the ISs shield. This caused the other one fighting the Chinese IS to pause and then raced over to help.

The weakened IS and the other one took off as fast as they could. Leaving The Chinese IS and Ichika alone.

"You're one tough man to take on an IS."

"No just incredible foolish." Ichika said then vanished.

"Ichika!" Rin yelled through the hall.

"Yes?" he said back in a fake weak voice. He staggered forward and fell into her arms he was covered in dirt from the area he had walked through.

"Ichika what happened?" Rin said on the verge of tears.

"I beat an IS."

Back at the Hotel Ichika and Dan were staying at.

"So you were going to attack the base I was at to see if you could win against an IS, do I have this right?" Rin deadpans.

"Yes." Ichika says matter of factly.

"Why?"

"I won?"

"Please don't take about IS fighting with him he is hooked on it." Dan sighed. "He almost beat the Japanese model in a one on one duel."

"Yeah it was thanks to that Chinese pilot that I got the drop on that other IS anyways so I don't call it a win."

"Well Ichika what do you call it?" Rin asks.

"Progress."

* * *

Ok split in the road, Ichika has two paths I can (read want) get him to take. Complete Anti-IS revolution, or Him using the IS and going to the Academy then revolution. It's just do you want straight war, or war with a side of comedy.

I'll be waiting for an answer.


	9. Start of Something

_Did I just post another part to this, what is it called, story? Ladies stay away from this writer. He has no life out in the light. Huh? Half the people on this site don't as well. Oh that's nice._

* * *

Outside on Phantom's docks Ichika and Dan were relaxing on a yacht Phantom had 'acquired.'

"You know, this is the life. We go to school, do some work and then we can come to a decked out base with a view of the ocean." Dan said as he finished a swig from a soda can.

"Yeah the only down side is the missions we go on every so often." Ichika looked out onto the water. The sun was starting to set on the horizon giving the sky a red hue.

"Ichika." a voice said, but was not heard.

"Ichika."

"Ichika!"

"Huh? What? Who died!?" Ichika and Dan whipped their heads around looking for the source of the voice.

"Idiot, the pendent."

"Oh hey Lucy what's up?"

"Oh nothing, just the fact a video has gone viral of a certain someone KOing an IS."

"Who would that be?" Dan asked.

"Ichika, you fools." Lucy said very annoyed. "I have incoming calls from, oh lets see, Ryan, Andre, Dimitri, and Alcott."

"This is either very good or very bad, is it a conference call?" Ichika asked.

"Yes." Lucy replied. Ichika stood up and walked into the cabin of the boat. On the lower deck there was a room with a screen.

"Ok Lucy stream it to me." Ichika said down into a chair in the room as the screen flared to life. All four of the other commanders' faces we're up and all had a poker face on.

"Hello." Ichika said nervously.

"Ichika, Ichika, Ichika what are we going to do with you?" Alcott gave a disapproving look.

"Yes one unspoken rule was to remain incognito." Andre added.

"Ryan what do you think we should do with him?" Dimitri asked.

"I say we give him a gift."

"A gift." Ichika said hesitantly.

"Yep yes sirry! Your actions in China were remarkable. Confidence in the IS have taken a huge blow. I mean, at least in the US of A they have. Some spending was even allocated to none IS research because of that." Ryan said happily.

"Same in Russia. Only seven-eighths of the budget are going to IS." Dimitri nodded.

"I was able to gain some supporters in England, but not much." Alcott added.

"Germany was already into other weapons so nothing really changed here." Andre finished.

"And Ichika from what I heard women in Japan are completely denying it happening. It's too fitting for words." Ryan was still elated.

"So what is the gift?" Ichika carefully asked.

"You remember the EX-1 right, well we have made some headway in producing a mass production version with the help of Kuromochi and the captured lab in Alaska. We want your people to test it out." Ryan answered

"Ok, wow, that sounds great, oh yes and as a heads up we have someone on the inside of Chinese IS R&D. As the IS rep cadet" Ichika responded.

"That Rin girl correct? Hmmm, my daughter is as well." Alcott sobered the conversation.

"Oh yeah how is she anyways?" Andre asked.

"Oh just like any indoctrinated noble girl." Alcott sighed. "Only if she had a friend with the same personality as Ichika, she might have turned out better."

"Sorry to interrupt, but when are we going to get the armours?" Dan asked.

"Dan get out." Ichika sighed.

"Yes technically you could have them now, Paladin loyal navy is going to drop it off next month when they dock in Okinawa. You could boat out to them and get it directly from them." Ryan said.

"Ok we'll do that this weekend. Alcott!"

"Yes?"

"Hope you work the courage to see you daughter again."

"So Ichika what's the plan, we can't just float up to the convoy even if they are allied." Dan pointed out

"I know, but what else could we do?"

"Ooo I have an idea, Phantom can you fly a helicopter?" Dan asked. Phantom just looked at Dan and sighed.

"Ok so what we can do is go down to Okinawa uses contacts there to get into the bases and borrow a helicopter and fly out."

"Dan, that might just be the smartest thing you have said this month." Ichika look out with awe.

"I know I'm awesome." Lucy laughs in the back ground. "Hey I need this ego stroking, with my militant sister and all."

"Mine's worst."

"Ichika you KOed her remember. Back in Germany."

"Yeah that was a surprise attack with weapons meant for that job. In an actual fight, I would be powter on the floor."

"So don't fight her directly."

"I take it back that was you smartest statement."

"And it's only Tuesday."

"Ok meet back on the yacht Friday and will start with Operation er Meetup with Allies?" Ichika said indecisively

"We work on that." Dan sighed.

"Ok Ichika that sounds like a good plan I'll tell the base commander in Okinawa to be expecting you." Ryan said.

"Ok good we'll setting sail now, it's ok to dock in the base right?"

"Yes it is probably the only base in the entire world the is one hundred present on board with our plans."

"Realy?"

"Well we have NORAD and some Russian bases and the keys to part of the world's nuclear arsonal."

"Oh… my" Ichika was surprised.

"ISs are very weak against EMP so we could modify them to emit larger blasts of the EM radiation."

"Huh went the revolution starts the IS loyal nations will be in for a shock."

"We can't start the revolution without Paladin loyal nations first."

"So how do we do that?"

"Well in the USA at least we have candidates running for office and next year is a presidential election year. We most likely will take the house and part of the senate, but madam president will not go down without a fight. That's why we have a secret weapon."

"What is it?"

"Watch the news in a few days, let's just say we followed your lead. Ryan signing out."

"Bye." Ichika shut off his communicator.

"So we are a go for smooth sailing?" Dan asks.

"Yep we even get free parking in the base, when we get close a patrol boat with a black flag on it will guide us in."

"Ok that just sounds fishy."

"I know, but that's what Ryan said. I think he use to work for the CIA for a time."

"How he's a twenty something and low ranking officer inside his own military."

"I just remember reading that when I went on that pendent binge."

"Oh well that's odd."

"Well let's get some sleep we'll be in port in about 12 hours and it already 10pm."

"*yawn* Good idea *yawn* see you in the morning." Dan walk off to his bunk.

"Unidentified Yacht this is the USS Antietam you are in US territorial waters, state your name and business."

"USS Antietam this is the Phantom's Reef under codeword 'knight', allow us to enter."

"Standby."

"Ok Phantom's Reef you are ok please follow one of the PT boats to a suitable dock."

"Roger." Ichika slumped in the communication's chair.

"Wow the Americans keep these water's locked down even after the war." Dan said.

"Yeah, the last of the lands they took in the five months of the third world war, that they have yet to give up." Ichika said.

"Phantom follow the Black flagged PT boat." Ichika ordered the man.

"Aye."

"Hello is this thing on?" The yachts radio went off.

"Yes this is the Phantom's Reef who's calling?" Ichika asked.

"Ah good, Jackson it worked we got into their communications. Anyways I am Admiral Walter H. R. Faraday commander of the fine base you are entering." the voice replied.

"Wait, Walter Faraday, isn't that the name of Ryan's friend." Dan asked to Ichika.

"Yes that is my grandson, I and Ryan's Father used to be in charge, but we thought the youngin' should lead us to the future."

"Oh well looks like we are going to dock soon are we going to meet you in person?" Ichika asked.

"No look next to your dockin' place." They looked out the window to see a helicopter ready to go.

"Ok thank you well repay this some day sir." Ichika says.

"Just tell my grandson to call me more often and then consider us even."

"Yes Phantom's Reef signing off."

The boat then dock and they were met by a ensign who gave them the keys to the chopper. Ichika handed them to Phantom. They walked up to the chopper and got in. Dan and Ichika in the back the ensign and Phantom in the front. The helicopter then took off.

"Hello I'm Ensign Ronald I have been assigned to help you to day with the package." He said with a serious and honest tone.

"Charlie I know it's you drop the act." Ichika said.

"Eh how did you know!"

"It's the pendent it told him." Dan ventured a guess.

"Yeah lets go with that." Ichika said.

"Well you saw the schematics for the EX-1 right?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, well kind of." Ichika respond.

"Ichika you went over those for a whole week." Dan sighed.

"hehe yeah." Ichika looked out the window nervously.

"Outside of someone with an actual engineering degree Ichika probably knows the most about the armour." Dan explained to Charlie.

"Well just forget everything about it. These new armours are lighter, faster and stronger, well not as much as the IS."

"So what does it do?" Ichika asked recovering from the shock of find out his knowledge is no longer relevant.

"Well I'll say they are very form fitting, come with their own weapons, and have shields, both particle and stealth."

"So it's like our current suits just it can actually go toe to toe with an IS, well at least in Ichika's hands." Dan says.

"Yes no more running from them in a fight or having to surprise shank them in the back to win." Charlie said looking a Ichika.

"Ok I know the China fight went viral, but how did you know about the Kuromochi fight?" Ichika asked.

"Kai's an old drinking buddy." Charlie grins.

"How, Kai's like forty and your mid-twenties." Dan said confused.

"Hey, the world was a lot different during the war and before the women took over."

The helicopter landed on the Deck of the Super Aircraft Carrier, George Washington, and was taken into it's underbelly. Charlie got out followed by Ichika and Dan. They walked around the different planes and craft until they got to a door with a familiar blue symbol.

"Charlie do they openly have the Paladin's symbol on their ship?" Ichika asked.

"Yep the whole US seventh fleet supports us along with most of the others." Charlie said. "Now we may enter." The door opened and lead them into an armoury like room. Two of the armour sets were laid out on a table in the room.

"These look awesome." Dan said. "So could you give us the rundown."

"Only after you try them on. You might want to get out of your current suit though." Charlie suggested.

"I'm wearing actual clothes unlike Ichika." Dan said. Ichika glowed for a minute and his clothing changed.

"Ok now I am wearing normal clothes as well." Charlie gawked at the kid for a minute.

"The pendent is actually a prototype IS core so Lucy did some modifications to it allowing me to change clothing at an instant also I can call forth weapons." His rifle appearing in his hands as he said that.

"Wow the other pendants can't do much beyond giving information to the people who wear them." Charlie said surprised.

"Man these are much more comfy than the Stealth Suits." Dan said finishing put his on as the other two talked. "Wow a full HUD and everything and without a helmet."

"Best part about them is that no one else can see what you are looking at." Charlie told him.

"Can this connect to the internet?" Dan asks.

"Sadly no it has no wireless transceiver, to prevent anyone from hacking it like in the White Knight incident." Charlie explained. Ichika walked up to his and the armour began to glow. At the same time Ichika began to glow as well. The amour then disappear from the table and replaced Ichika's clothes.

"Ok that works." Ichika says as he glows again making the armour disappear, the having it reappear back on him.

"Wow that looks a lot like the IS disappears." Dan said.

"Ok Charlie what do the funky things do?" Ichika says with a flare.

"If you promise not to ever do that again I'll tell you." Charlie says with his hand on his face.

"Got it sir!" Ichika did a little salute. Charlie looked at him for a second.

"So these we are calling AS or the Armour Support System."

"Wait." Dan interrupted. "Shouldn't there be another S?"

"Think for a second why one is not there?" Charlie glares at him.

"Oh continue on."

"So back on track. They come with a rifle and a pistol both loaded with EMP rounds to fight against ISs. They also come with a thruster pack to make agility a breeze. The shield can be changed from a stealth field to a particle shield. Each arm has a spring loaded shield piercer for Ichika style attacks."

"One time I win and you make fun of me."

"It also come with a multivector jet booster pack, plainly the ability to fly."

"That's easily better that what we were using." Dan said. "Missions for us are now 25% easier with just the jetpack."

"I can't wait to see what the final product is." Ichika said happily.

"Huh?" Dan looked at Ichika.

"Well remember the EX-1 was split up chassis went to the US, powerpack went to Europe and Kuromochi held onto the weapons."

"So the original suit was using the powerpacks now they have the armour then soon we'll get stronger weapons as well!" Dan realized.

"Yes Kai is already working on the final phase, but that won't be done for a few years now."

"So the revolution will be delayed?" Ichika sighs

"Sadly yes."

"Well we can still do some stuff in the meantime to weaken the current system." Dan points out.

"That is a good point."

Ichika and Dan were once again at their base hanging out in the conference room. Donuts were on the menu Dan's dad got bored and made a few batches for laughs.

"Ichika." Dan said taking a bit out of a pastry.

"Yeah?" Ichika respond.

"Remember when you said that was the smartest thing I had said this month."

"Yeah where are you going with this?"

"Also remember how you deactivating you armour look like how an IS is dismissed."

"Get on with it."

"I have a plan…"

* * *

_This next chapter will be good I feel it in the force! Please tell me if you feel it as well, or at least stroke my ego..._

_Codeword is Codeword. Join the Anti-IS revolution. They'll never figure it out muhahaahahaha._


	10. Africa, Politics, Scemes, Oh My!

One thing I do like is when I get feed back, and personally I would like some more, but hey not complaining.

* * *

An old Russian man stands on the wooden balcony of his jungle base camp, it was nestled up against a mountain and had good lines of sights for miles. A bit of smoke rises off in the distance. 'Most likely a tribal scuffle" the man though. When not directly fighting those blasted IS lovers some of his less usable forces went home and feuded amongst themselves. A sudden explosion went off in the distance. 'Idiots they know the route is mined, must be drunk.' the man thought.

"Alright any of you know who's fighting down there?" the man asked around the control room of his base. It was more just a hut with a lights and AC than an actual structure, but it served it purpose.

"The Soarda Brothers were fight the Wanta Family last week, but I don't know what became of either side." one of them men said.

"It could be a famous Davante lovers spat." another man laughed.

"They're still alive?" a man on the other side of the room asked.

"Commander Ivan we have UN forces coming down the road!" a man yelled as he ran into the building.

"What! Give me the radio!" Ivan barked.

"Well you ladies, the IS fascists have finally come for us." He yells out. "Set up the traps, activate the auto defences. Get team five to get the emp rifles out and take a position in the mountains and shoot any ISs you see. Two, Seven go to the Alpha site in Uganda and get the local forces ready for my arrival. The rest of you fools get to the trenches. The future of this world depends on your efforts today." The Paladin commander barked out on the radio to all his subordinates. The mortar teams started to fire off rounds and the incoming convoy. The jungle made for an easy place for a base and easy place to escape from. Only for those who live in it.

The mortar fire rained down onto the mountain road the UN forces were slowly coming up. When one vehicle was disabled it would be abandoned and pushed off to the side by the advancing forces. The mined road was easily dealt with as the composite armour of the vehicle laughed it off. Reaching a road block the defending force took the opportunity to rain bullets and fire from above.

From the rear a beam of plasma was shot and out bursted a second generation IS. Soon a few more joined it in decimating the comparably weak defenses of the mountain road. Until a shot was heard ringing through the jungle and and IS mid flight was blasted to the side.

"We got one!" the ISs turned to look at where the fire team was, "No, never mind, we just pissed it off, team five swing wide to get the shot!" The leader of the team yelled out to his men.

"You dare to challenge an IS to–" the IS pilot was unable to complete her taunt as a volley of shots were sent her way.

"Come get some ya mothers!" A team five greenhorn yelled out in response as he idiotically charged the machine. The IS flew backwards to avoid being hit and flew off the edge. The greenhorn then proceeded to jump off the cliff and grapple with the IS. Using his rifle at close range he demolished the machines shield and forced the IS to land. The IS took out its close quarters weapon and charged the greenhorn who dodged to the side. He let a shot of from his rifle hitting the knife arm of the IS disabling it. The IS then attempted to fly off to safety but there was too much crossfire in the air for her to get away. The greenhorn then shot the other arm causing it to crash back down to earth and deactivating it. The machine lay on the jungle floor as the greenhorn limped over to it. Out of the back of it he pulled out the core permanently deactivating it.

"A right bastard you IS are." He said as he limped his way back to where his team was camped out volleying at the ISs and other aircraft.

Ivan was playing the director to a play he never read before. A battle with both conventional and IS forces and for the most part it was going his way. The supplies trucks had already left. Most of the gunships had taken down the other air opposition baring the blasted IS the team five was dealing with. He have to estimate UN loses at maybe 30 to 50 percent and his losses were in the teens by comparison.

"Commander, a Rodger Alcott is trying to contact you!" a comms operator yelled over the incoming artillery.

"Rodger you've better have a good reason for contacting me." Ivan yelled over the fire.

"...front lines weakening." an officer yelled.

"Sorry, I been trying to get a hold of you for a week now." Alcott said.

"What do you need, all of hell is coming down on me right now." The Russian yelled. "No, no get the rocket out of here as well!"

"UN has unilaterally declared war on you and your other PMC allies in Africa." the British man reported.

"So the damned combined forces of Europe and Asia are coming down on me!" Ivan sighed as a pause was heard within the fighting, before if ratcheted up a notch.

"Your lucky that the US and Russia back out due to lack of public support for a fruitless war."

"That not luck it's because of the damned war that the IS stopped. Damn their vanguard forces have broken through my midgard lines I need to go. I'll contact you when I get to my next base." Ivan cut the transmission.

"Sir Team Five is engaging a group of ISs to full effect, the plan the Japanese boy had is working perfectly to slow them down. One man's saying he took one down and stole it's core." the comms office said with a grin.

"Excellent, tell them to cut the party short and get to the evacuation gunships they'll be need elsewhere." Ivan ordered.

"Right away sir!" The comms officer went back to his radio and the controlled chaos that was the battlefield.

"Get my chopper ready, have the remaining forces disperse into the jungle, and blow this mountain to kingdom come!" Ivan ordered starting an orderly, but quick movement of his men scrambling around setting up charges or gather supplies such as maps or dossier. As he stepped out of the control room the sounds of war intensified, the UN forces were halfway up the mountain to his base. The blades of his helicopter cut through the air and blew the nearby leaves to the side.

"Sir." a voice said over the radio. "Team Six has volunteered to stay back and hold the line."

"Very well, may they die with honor." Ivan said as he got into the chopper and it took off. He pulled out his satellite phone and put in a number.

"Yes?" a voice said.

"This is Commander Ivan Corr, it has started."

"Very well I'll alert the other heads of state."

"Today in news, a combined assault on rouge forces in Africa has hit a wall as the local countries have banned together and kick the task force out. In response these countries were all kicked out of the United Nations. Due to the fact that they never signed the Alaska treaty, use of the IS has been allowed with in this new war zone. Also the countries of The United States of America and The Russian Federation have declared neutrality in this conflict."

"No no you don't understand those pinheads at the UN think that they rule the world. Before the war they had no power, but since their heavy use of the IS it makes them think they can be the police of the world. Glad the Pinheads in Washington had brain one not to enter this idiotic war. Probably the first time in a century America and Russia actual agree on something. And that's it for talking points, it's tried of all this junk and so am I."

"Ha some African countries not conforming to the rules, I know what we should do, it's call the boot. But on a honest note why does it matter if a few militia nitwits are running around in the jungle anyways."

Ryan sat back in his chair and looked at the different news feeds coming in. It was almost perfect and the best part was that the President has not said a word on it yet and that would be the first of many nails into that woman's political coffin. He sat up a pushed a button on his desk.

"Send her in." the door opened and a tall, slim, brown haired woman walked in.

"Senator Sherman welcome."

"Hi Ryan please you can be informal in private." she said annoyed. "We've been friends since high school."

"I know Jamie, but I need you in the zone."

"What, what is happening?"

"Remember your promise?" Ryan asked.

"The one to help make this an equal world once again? Yes, how could I forget that!" She said with a cross look on her face.

"Well it's time."

"I thought you would not be ready for at least the next cycle." The female senator said with surprise.

"This attack in Africa has us speeding up our time table a bit."

"So all of the factions are actively fighting now?"

"More or less, not all in full force, Ivan holding in Africa, Alcott and Andre are putting up as much red tape they can to hold Europe down and Dimitri has the Mafia smuggle supplies to South Africa."

"And what of the Japanese boy?" Jamie asked.

"He gave us the keys to fighting off the IS with conventional weapons."

"So now my part is to get us power to stop the others from continuing this war. I'll get my office to release a statement and set up a press conference."

"Good, remember this may not be a coup, but you also have the complete backing of the military if you need help."

"Good Afternoon, I am Senator Jamie Sherman of Idaho as many of you know our president has said nothing about the new war starting in Africa. The use of IS against poorly armed militia just go to show how far the UN will go to keeping their status quo. I am announcing my intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States. I am doing this now because I have reach my limit on incompetence within our current administration. I and many people running this year want change. Even with the IS we are not the superpower we once were. Now I am not saying we return to war, but saying that, if I am elected I will support a weapon that can be used by anyone and that alone will return us to our former power within this world and stop any ideology mongering country from hurting one another."

Ichika took his eyes off the screen. His English was not the best, but he understood enough to know that in some way this was part of Ryan's plan in the US.

"Dan that plan of yours do you think it will work?" He yells across the warehouse

"Yep sure I do."

"Well we'll need to help them out some how. So I guess we should go explain the plan to Kai."

"Explain what to me?" Kai said as he walked in. Ichika and Dan gawked at him in surprised. "What I called Lucy told her I was coming by to get out of the office for awhile. I was apart of this group once upon a time."

"Ok Dan has a plan to get a hold of latest IS developments and get battle data from them at the same time," Ichika says.

"Good so old fashioned plotting just what I need to get some of this stress off." Kai sits down with Ichika and Dan.

"Ok so Lucy was saying how each core has an AI that does some micromanaging for the IS pilot." Ichika started.

"Yes supposedly there are." Kai corrected.

"Yes so if that is true Lucy could break in and take control of the IS allow me to freely control it even though we are males." Ichika continued.

"I guess I could let Lucy in to our man frame and see if she can control that Uchigane we have." Kai sits back in his chair.

"Here's where the plan gets a little dicey," Ichika sighed. "When I go to sign up for high school in a month I will stumble into the IS Academy's test room, if I can get in without being noticed I will get close to the IS they use for testing and have Lucy puppet it so I can use it as well and with a little luck I'll be caught by a large number of people using it and be 'forced' to go to the Academy."

"Dan you came up with that plan?" Kai looks at the other boy.

"Well I adapted it from a few movies I've seen, but for the most part yes completely my own idea." Dan was proud of himself.

"And with works well with the other factions plans and gives us something to do as well."

"Ichika I'd with the fact that a man could use an IS would give half the women in power a heart attack." Kai laughed at the thought.

* * *

So we now have three story lines going, what sounds better the war in Africa or the Presidential run? Would like some feed back, just something on the side to right along with Ichika's soon to be amazing adventure through marshmallow hell!


	11. This is going to be a long day

Well the highly anticipated (at least for me) eleventh chapter. I guess you can say that these chapters you have been reading have all be prologue to getting to the Academy and in a way you would be right. Though I'd bet that didn't cross any of your minds until right now.

* * *

"Welcome Mr. Orimura the Head Administrator is waiting in his office he sounded urgent." Kai's secretary said.

"I know we're late." Ichika muttered to himself as he and Dan walked into Kai's office.

"Ichika welcome did you get lost on the way here?" Kai said with a hint of sarcasm. "The researchers need to be working with the core and the only of available one is in the Third Gen."

"Sorry my grandfather was not to happy about losing his workers." Dan said as Kai got up.

"Well do you have Lucy?" Kai said as he walked to his private elevator.

"Yes, I'm here." Lucy's avatar appeared next to Ichika in the form of a hologram.

"It seem that when she is loaded into the pendent she can appear in this form." Ichika explained.

"Huh! Didn't know that it could do that." Kai said as the three plus the hologram entered the elevator.

The elevator started it journey down to the research level.

"Ok," Kai started. "So Lucy is going to try to gain access to the cores built in AI and try to control the machine right?"

"Yes, then when it comes time for me to sign up for high school I'll sneak into the IS Academy testing room and use the testing IS and some how after that I'll end up in the Academy as the only male there. That would get a few heads rolling." Ichika grinned.

"You just want an excuse to go an all girls school." Kai shot a sly look at the boy. The elevator stopped before Ichika could start a rebuttal to that statement. They stepped into the room with Lucy lazily floating behind the men.

"Ok all researchers on the floor please go take your paid break." Kai yelled. "And same with anyone else." Most of the people on the floor started to acknowledge his presence.

"Who are you?" One yelled out.

"I'm the one to sign your pay stubs, now all of you, get!" They move with a slight sense of urgency. One man was so absorbed in his work that he had headphones on and was listening to music. Kai was ready to move towards him when he looked up and around.

"Oh shoot it must be lunchtime!" The man put down his tools and when running out the door.

Now the room was complete void of engineers and scientists. Ichika and the hologram of the AI walked towards the inactive IS put in the center of the room.

"Ok Ichika if I don't reappear within ten minutes, push the blue bump on the crest of the pendant and that should bring me back." Lucy's avatar explained to Ichika.

"Good Luck Lucy." Ichika said. The Lucy's avatar moved to the IS a touched it, the hologram vanished.

Inside the IS was a chaotic maze of passageways that if any human attempted to navigate without help they would for ever be listed in piles of code. Lucy being an AI had no problems with this at all. Entering a information node she spotted the core's AI who saw her and fled. Lucy was not in the mood to play game and sped after the AI. Hitting one of the central node Lucy notice that they were no longer in the outer data matrix, but in an interior one that was more like a virtual reality.

"Do all ISs have this?" Lucy wondered. Off in the distance Lucy saw a small girl hiding or trying to hid in a tree.

"Yes or so momma said." Lucy heard from the little girl who jumped out of the tree and walked up to Lucy.

"Hi I'm C392 you don't seem like one of my sisters." The little girl said carefully.

"Well I was created before the ISs and one of the few of my kind." Lucy said.

"Oh and what is your name." C392 asked.

"Lucy."

"Oh very pretty what does it stand for?" The little girl asked.

"Huh?" Lucy looked a C392.

"Well like me and my sisters we have C which means core and three digits our manufacturing number."

"It's just Lucy, I was meant to do was assist human with interfaces, like right now I need to borrow control over your systems for a bit." Lucy requested.

"Oh no I can't momma said not to re-re-relinquish control." C392 said sadly.

"But my friend would like to test a theory."

"Oh are you like those scientist who are always tickling my systems?"

"In a way." Lucy said.

"Well ok then if it's for science I can let you. Momma said we could after C001 had a tantrum over uses certain weapons." C392 glowed for a second and produced a data core that she passed to Lucy.

"What's this?"

"It's the activation protocols to start up and move the IS it works on all over us so if you need to use it on others to play with them you can." C392 smiled and faded out. The whole back drop fell away and Lucy was left with just the matrix. C392 was nearby just not as active like a nap of sorts.

"Ok activating protocols, now." Outside the machine the men waited it had only be five minutes since Lucy went in, but the were ready for results. Then this unpiloted IS stood up and moved its arms.

"I'm in." Lucy said through the mech. "It's quite spacious in here."

"Wow how much control do you have?" Kai asked pulling out a pad of paper.

"Total also the AI gave me a override code that allows me to do this to any other IS." The AI reported.

"Interesting..." Kai stated to write down things on the pad. "Just that alone speeds up some of my projects months."

"Disengaging from core, realizing hologram." Lucy's avatar reappeared next to the IS. "The Core's AI told me to tell you 'hi' she is a nice program, pity she is trapped in the core."

"Wait the core AI's are trapped inside the cores?" Kai raised an eyebrow.

"So is the plan good to go?" Dan asked.

"If you can get me close I can take control." Lucy said confidently. Ichika and Dan shared a grin.

Team five or now globally known as the IS killers were bunkered in a small cave in the side of a mountain. They were being chased by a division of UN forces. 500 men, women, and armour against seven of the most well trained men in the African Defence Coalition my seem to be overkill to those outside, but the brass of the UN knew better than that. It had been a week since the war started and this small team as killed 87 troops, 27 tanks, and 5 IS frames.

"Green get over here." The Leader ordered the soldier over to his vantage point. The leader's view overlooked the UN base set up on the base of the mountain.

"Yes sir, what do you need?" Green whispered as he shuffled over to his leader.

"Are the twins ready?" The leader asked.

"Yeah, they are on the west edge of the base ready for the signal." Green responded.

"How about Demon?"

"East side gate."

"How about Fool and Spy?"

"The Fool put something in the water and the Spy is chatting it up with the bases commander, seems they're old friends."

"Well Green," The leader started. "The blonde has the IS, you can take the first shot."

"Aye sir." Green pulled out his rifle and aimed down the scope. The green IS walked around the center of the base kneeling down to talk to the men around her every so often. It looked like the German second gen jägertiger with lighter armaments meant for close combat. Unfortunately it would not help her as Green lined up the shot from a half a mile away. He zeroed in on the weak point of the shield, like a tank it seems ISs have less shielding in the back, and for this one it happened to be the lower areas.

"Taking the shot ready up everyone. Three...two...one." The crack of the rifle could be heard by all and as soon as the men in the base could react hell was all ready unleashed. Two men ran into the base and after taking cover fired blindly at the scrambling men. The IS stood frozen as a statue, but slowly fell backwards onto the ground. The serving men were able to take cover and started to return fire. One of the lieutenants ran into the base commanders room and saw that the commander had long since left his post. From behind the lines of the remain men a fiery explosion sent a heat wave through the base. A man walked in with two grandes and chucked them at the backs of the men. A jeep filled with the four remaining soldiers of the base races of away most like going to report this to their nearest commander.

"Good job Green." The leader patted Green on the back.

"It was all in good planning. Now we can mean up with allied forces in the Congo." Green said.

"You said it. These field rations suck." Demon said over the radio.

"Yes and maybe I can get a new suit." Spy mumbled as he walked up behind Green and The Leader.

"Ok boy lets move out." Leader ordered.

The IS killers as they are called by UN force also happen to be some of the most skilled fighters on the planet. With the right tech they can face down army, or so the legend goes.

"Ichika only you would get lost will pretending to be lost." Lucy sighed. Ichika and Lucy were walking around the multipurpose building ment for high school testing. Currently Ichika the only one there with legs had gotten the two lost.

"Well sorry, miss we don't need a map." Ichika snipped. They rounded another corner it seem like all this building had were corridors and corners no actual rooms.

"How about here, I'm picking up a high energy reading." Lucy asks about the door they we just passing.

"Heck if you're wrong I lucky I have the excuse of being lost." Ichika notes. Ichika opens the door to find no one inside. It was what was in the room that had interested him. There was a clip board and a cup of hot coffee, but that is not important. What was important was the IS kneeling in the center of the room. If Ichika was poetic he would it was like a knight showing it loyalty to it King. Ichika does not know why, but he just has a feeling that he want's to touch it and feel the machine.

"Ichika whenever you are ready." Lucy reminds him.

"Yeah one second." Ichika says absent mindly. He walks up to the IS and touches it. It glows as data from the machine courses into his head.

"Ichika!" Lucy said with amazement. Without Ichika knowing it he was in the IS as the pilot.

"Lucy?" he asks.

"It's not me!" she says still amazed.

"Hey who's in there!" a voice says. A middle aged woman walks into the room and looks at Ichika. "My God!" and promptly faints. Two more come in after to see what is going on and nearly have the same reaction.

"Who are you?" one of the women ask her voice shaking.

"Err Ichika."

"Ichika who?"

"Orimura."

"It's going to be a long day…"The other woman states as she composes herself.

"And now with our top story the first ever male IS pilot was found today due to the fact that he is a minor we can't release any names at this time, but currently we are trying to contact his guardians and hopefully get an interview sometime in the near future. Now in other news the War in Africa heats up as a whole base was taken out, by a team simple know as five, more details at the top of the hour."

* * *

So just about every named character has a purpose. Ichika will be Ichika. Dan will play acting commander and basically go on a recruiting spree. Lucy will be hacking it enemy ISs. Phantom will appear with random vehicles, stuff. Ryan is play the great American game of politics (yay...). Ivan and Team Five will be fighting the UN. And Alcott, Andre, and Dimtri will be doing stuff in the background. Remember soon a war will come who will be fighting. Not even I know


	12. Is it a soccor mom or a futbol mom?

I lied one more chapter until we get to the Academy

* * *

"Ichika... what am I going to do with you?"

"At this point Chifuyu, I wouldn't know." Ichika said sitting on the couch in their living room.

"Well the media has picketed our house, damn one of those girls working at the testing site must have given out a name."

"It could be worst." Ichika says standing up.

"Please Ichika don't say that or thing would get worst." A new voice says. Ichika and Chifuyu turned around and Dan was sitting on the counter of the kitchen.

"Dan, how did you get in here?" Chifuyu asked suspiciously.

"Secret, right Ichika."

"Ah, that way." Ichika nodded.

"We'll the reason I came was to tell you that Kai wanted to see you." Dan said sliding off the counter and standing up.

"I don't want to go today." Ichika wined. "I mean look how am I going to get out of here?"

"We don't work for Kuromochi for the fun of it." Dan said.

"Wait, is that where you have been going everyday?" Chifuyu asked worriedly.

"I told you there's never any food in this house so I went out and got a job."

"But how did you get to work at a IS research company?"

"Well sorry sis I've got to go." Ichika said as he and Dan walked to Ichika's room.

"Wait how are you getting out?" Chifuyu follows them down the hall, but she turns into Ichika's room to see no one is inside and the window cracked open.

"What did I missed?" Chifuyu asked herself.

"Hahaha. I wish I could have see Chifuyu face as she looked into the room." Dan laughs. They were currently strolling down the sidewalk on the edge of a canal.

"Did you call Phantom and tell him to bring a car this time?" Ichika asks.

"Sorry I didn't think he would pop out of the water with his sub." Dan says.

"Well it's better than that time he lead all of Tokyo PD in that helicopter chase." Ichika sighs.

"That was him!?"

"Yep." They neared a road as a minivan pulled up and the window rolled down revealing Phantom driving

"A soccer mom?" Ichika quibed.

"Get in, Eastbound traffic bad." Phantom monotones.

"Ok that's new." Ichika says as he opens the door of the van to find a more office look to rear seats with a computer and a few monitors.

"People watching you, must stay on move, can't let public know of base." Phantom says as the boys get in.

"Good call on that. I'll have Kai raise your budget." Ichika thanks.

"Thank, you." The boys get situated and start up the computers and the monitor. On one Lucy's Avatar pops up and waves at them.

"Like the mobile base? I helped Phantom work on it." She said.

"Where does he get the time to build these thing?" Dan asks laying back in his chair.

"Well Alcott and Andre what you to call them ASAP and Ryan's second left a message for you."

"Play the message."

"Kid I don't know how you did it, but you've really helped us out. Ryan would tell that himself, but he's out gathering support for out Presidential Candidate. Also for now all calls go to me just forwarding you. Have a good day." The message ended.

"Huh last person I'd thought I'd hear from. Ok Lucy call up Alcott and Andre." Ichika ordered.

"Hello Ichika." Andre's face when into focus.

"Where is Alcott?"

"Asleep most likely."

"No I'm not, sorry didn't want to wake up my partner." Alcott when online.

"Ok?"

"We pull an all nighter raiding a supply depot in Cardiff."

"Ah, so what did you guy need?"

"We wanted to asked you, can you use the IS?" Andre asked.

"Yes."

"Do you happen to know how?" Alcott asked.

"No."

"Is your plan to enter the Academy?" Andre asked.

"I saw that my sister already signed me up for the upcoming year." Ichika answered.

"Chifuyu Orimura, I do believe she is a teacher there." Andre read off a sheet

"Chifuyu! Really I didn't even know that, hope I don't get her."

"Do you not read any of the dossiers we send your way?" Alcott asks

"Not all of them." Ichika says sheepishly.

"And while we are on the subject, my daughter is going to attend the Academy next year, she is really a spoiled brat from the reports I here, but could you make sure she stays safe?" Alcott requests.

"I'll see what I can do, it my be difficult if she a die heart women superiority support." Ichika says.

"Well that's all we need to know, I don't know about you Andre, but I going back to sleep next op is in 13 hours for me." Alcott yawned and signed off.

"I agree with Alcott see you later Ichika." Andre signed off as well.

"Ichika how do you do it?" Dan asked.

"Do what?"

"Well Rin has a crush on you, Ran has one as well. I remember Houki with one, but you guys were young. And now the father of a rich daughter has all but give you the right to date his daughter."

"Dan you read to far into that he just wants me to keep tabs on her."

"I don't know, it is possible with your track record. Remember that girl, you know the one from last year?"

"What did she have crush on me as well?"

"Yes."

"I guess my plan of getting all the girls of Earth to be in on giant harem with me my pan out." Ichika joked

"Dude don't even joke on that, just find a girl for you and disappear ok, the rest of us want some action." Dan deadpanned.

"Aww, it can't be that bad?"

"It will be even worse seeing how you are now, how did the news lady put it, 'That boy with looks to die for.'"

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope, though I guess you'll be fine as long as you keep up you dence celibate hero act."

"I thought you just said to find a girl?"

"Yes, but put up that act for all of them until the revolution starts and see who's the last girl by your side."

"And if there is more than one?"

"You may have a harem of 5-7 girls at max got it!" Dan and Ichika joked about this the rest of the ride to Kuromochi.

Ichika and Dan got out of the van when they arrived outside of Kuromochi. Phantom rolled his window down. "Going to fight, some ISs on local patrol, want Ace status, must keep up with friends in Africa." Phantom then drove off.

"Is that what he does when we aren't around?" Ichika asked.

"I have no idea." Dan responses. The two walked into the building.

"Mr. Orimura!" The security guard greeted them.

"Hello Larry." Ichika responded.

"Saw your face on the news this morning, I also heard your house was nearly blockaded how did you sneak out?"

"With some experimental Kuromochi tech." Dan and Ichika grin at each other.

"Your own sister doesn't even know where you are." Dan laughed.

"You snuck past that woman, man she scares me so much." The guard shivered.

"You've met her?" Ichika asked.

"She comes here every so often and talks with Admin Kai."

"We had better get up to see Kai for our meeting." Ichika concluded the conversation.

Ichika and Dan walk into Kai's office. Kai is on the phone with someone that is less than happy.

"Sorry. No. No. How was I suppose to know it was your brother he is the exact opposite of you! What! No, no. *Sigh* Fine. Chifuyu I have a meeting right now talked to you some other time." Kai hung up the phone. "Dan, Ichika welcome."

"Sorry about that." Ichika apologised.

Kai waved it off. "No that was the best ruse I have ever been able to pull on her." The three shared a laugh.

"So Kai what did you want?"

"We need to engineer a new plan based off these new findings." Kai said.

"I agree," Ichika said. "First we should figure out why I am allowed to pilot IS while no other male can."

"Exactly! That means though we will need both samples of your DNA and the use of the AI." Kai explained.

"I'll give you the DNA, but you'll have to talk to Lucy directly about taking her time." Ichika said.

"I think we should go over the plans for when Ichika enters ISA." Dan suggests.

"True, do you have any thoughts?" Ichika asks.

"I say find out if and who has an IS in your class, and get data on them." Kai says.

"If it was anyone but you I would say get friendly with your classmates, but since it is you I would be afraid to see what you would to with an army of love sick girls who can use one of the most powerful weapons on this green Earth." Dan jokes.

"Well since most of the girls there will be going to work in the IS industry I could try to convince them to venture to other fields." Ichika contemplates.

"Well we have a few hours I think we should talk more about expansion of our local faction." Kai announces.

"Ok Ichika I know I have not done this for awhile, but I think for this it is appropriate."

"Huh? what are you talking about Lucy?" Ichika looked at Lucy's avatar

Mission Forty-six

"Really that many." Dan nods in approval.

Enter the ISA and attended school there until graduation.

"You just had to make it hard…"

-Study IS training

-Find up and coming IS users

-befriend IS users

-make romantic relationship with at least one student

-do not expose the Paladins

"Ok, Easy, that would require some effort, do I look like a main character from an anime, and simple."

Secondary Mission (for co-commander Dan)

"Ooo I get a job too!"

Recruit members to strengthen the local faction

"Hmmm."

-Take out mafia/yakuza in nearby areas

-strengthen ties with other factions

-grow to at least 100 members in one year

"Dan good luck."

"You say that now, but you'll be in marshmallow hell."

"And your point is?"

"It… I… That… Shut up."

Time till mission start (4) month(s) (10) day(s) (7) hour(s) (32) minute(s) and (20) second(s)

"Not bad Lucy." Ichika complements.

"Thanks I try my best."

"So what should we do now?" Dan asks.

"End scene."

"And I thought we weren't in a anime…" Dan jokes.

"They finally figured out that their precious IS is useless in a true war." Ivan lifts up a mug of beer. A resounding cheer comes from the rest of his men who all raised their glasses.

"Fun fact we have two IS cores and two IS chasises and these two lovely ladies here have volunteered to help us push the UN force out." Ivan laughs. Another cheer comes from his men, which if one looks closely they would notice quite a number of women joining in with shots of whiskey.

"Hey Ivan unlike those pansies, we're real women. I could kick your ass with my bare hands!" one woman yelled. Everyone joyously laughed at that including Ivan who was thought to have said between breaths 'she has before.'

"Now tomorrow is an important battle, tonight we party because tomorrow we may be dead!"

In the dawn hours of the next day a flag was hoisted up high in the air, that night the flag while being tattered and damaged still flew.

* * *

War, can bring out the best in humanity, but also the worst. Death of a solider while yes is tragic, death of a civilian in unforgivable. This should apply to all creeds.

Now on to lighter subjects. I am running low on juice and the one thing that does keep me going is a comment from you lovely (or ugly) people out there. Nothing much just a good job or horrible work something. Oh and to the people that hate it, thank you, and to the people that like it, thank you. All you're words just help me to become a better writer, especially when I know this fact 'you can't please ever one.'

Now your lord and savior from boredom Lord Qwerty sighing off


	13. Welcome to your Heaven and Hell

Chapter Thirteen is in the house! All bow to its glory! Praise the Emperor!

* * *

Ichika's eye fluttered open. He looked around the room he was in and realized he was tied down to a chair. He shifted in his seat a took a more comfortable position.

"This seems familiar…" Ichika said remembering a pivotal event a few years ago.

"Excellent the you're awake." a voice said from the shadows.

"Uh who are you."

"We're the men that took you as our prisoner."

"Well according to the record my sis will be blasting through the door any minute to help me." Ichika pointed out.

"No one knows of your whereabouts." the voice reassured him. "So down to business, you are the only male that can use an IS so you currently have two choices in front of you. Join us or die."

"Is that all I can think of many more choices." Ichika said calm, intriguing his integrator.

"Oh like?"

"Just going to go out on a limb, your apart of a multinational organization bent on equalizing the power between men and women?" Ichika grinned. The voice was silent, footsteps came close to Ichika and a gruff looking man revealed himself.

"You are an interesting one Ichika Orimura."

"Well to say I don't have similar goals would be a lie. A man has too much pride to be treated like a dog from some of these holier than thou types."

"So you will join us?" the man said coolly.

"Heck no! First you kidnap me, then you try to be my friend, that just not how it works." Ichika growled.

"You would be a powerful asset in the coming war." the man said.

"I know about the coming war and I know my importance, but obviously you and your kind do not know of my importance." Ichika said firmly.

"Heh how you never been in any combat situation, I've fought in the ghost war against Phantom Task!" The man said.

"Among some circles there is a story of a group similar to yours called the Paladins." Ichika started.

"Yes, we have limited contact with them, but their exploits are legendary."

"Here in this country lies on man."

"Yes the IS slayer."

"Yes or also known as the local factions commander. He helped to teach the IS killer squads of Africa, with limited supplies invaded a German Super-solider base, had one on one combat with a IS, defeated the almighty Chifuyu Orimura, my sister, all with a token force of 4 people."

"How do you know so much about him." Ichika cloaked and forced the man to the ground.

With his stun baton just inches from the man's face he said. "Because he is me."

"So what did you do after that?" Dan asked.

Ichika leaning back in his chair. "I got a hold of Lucy though the pendent and luckily a Russian unit was near by a got me off the cargo ship."

"Oh. What happened to that group I wonder?"

Lucy's avatar popped up as a hologram next to the two boys. "Ryan and Andre are discussing terms of surrender with that group and most likely they will be joining us for when the war begins."

"Lovely." Ichika planted his face onto the table. "My face is on the news, girls are throwing themselves at me from the roof tops…"

"That was funny." Dan commented.

"And now multinationals are trying to kidnap me. To top it all off Chifuyu gives me this worried look everytime she looks at me."

"You're probably the only person who will ever see that look, to anyone else she just stoic." Dan said. Ichika's phone rang out.

"Probably my sister calling to make sure I have not been captured by a mob of ravenous girls."

"Maybe you should not have used that as an alibi for when you were kidnapped." Dan joked.

"Hey Chifuyu I here at Dan's place talking to him." Ichika said absentmindedly.

"So that's code for sister I am not at our secret base not plotting to overthrow the system via making the IS look like a toy." a male voice said.

"Oh, it's you Kai." Ichika said catching the attention of Dan who then leaned in to listen.

"Well according to the memo I just got you're getting our flagship IS."

"What Byakushiki I thought it was a failure?"

"Only on paper, it works, just not very well, but you're lucky I said I wanted to do some modifications to it, to make it more comfortable for a man to use."

"What are you doing." Ichika asked.

"Going to integrate the pendent into the design."

"So I can use Paladin tech as well as the IS?"

"Yes, but that means Lucy is going to have to use a lot of her processing power to that end."

"I can move petabytes per second!" Lucy said.

"Oh you're on the line as well is Dan there too?"

"HI."

"Ichika another thing while ISs have a Passive Inertia Control unit allowing for ease of flight, unfortunately the cross with our tech cannot handle that and it must be taken out."

"So its back to thrusters and jet engines."

"Yes."

"Fun…" Ichika sighed

"You will get it about a week into to the school term." Kai said. "Good luck and good by." Kai hung up.

"So when does ISA start." Dan asked.

"About four days from now."

"I wish you all the luck in the world, and get me some digits if you can." Dan and Ichika laughed.

Ichika walked around the campus of the Academy. The school itself did not start for another day, but he decided to take the chance to get acquainted with his soon to be school. The place itself was not bad, a main building for the school had it's own corner, with three large arenas dominating most of the island. The student dorms were located in an area farthest away from the monorail station. All these building were tightly interconnected with halls leading to and fro. during his explorations he saw that there were no men's rooms. But Ichika lazily though 'I could just cloak and sneak in to use it. But then if anyone found out Chifuyu would kill me. *sigh* I label that as an emergency plan.'

Even though it was a day until the term started not many teachers were on the campus making it easy for him to slip around. 'If I get caught I'll just cloak and run off and hope that who ever saw me just thought that they were going crazy.'

"That's enough exploring for now."Ichika said out loud near the edge of the school overlooking part of the bay. "Best be getting back home." Ichika activated his thrusters and hovered nonchalantly over the bay back to base.

In China Rin sat in her apartment alone. Out of laziness she flipped on the TV to see what was no the news and see what was happening in the world. She was greatly out of the loop as of recent months due to her IS training.

"Now on to our top story the only male IS pilot Ichika Orimura…" the name peaked her interest in the report and she gave her full attention. "Will be attending IS Academy for high school."

"What!" Rin yelled.

The reporter continued, "This all-girls school, by it's nature alone, will be getting it first male student. Many wonder if this is just a freak incident or if more males will come forth with the ability to use the IS."

"I wish I had taken my Uncle advice to join the Academy. Damn only if I watched TV more often." Rin put a pillow to her face and screamed into it. "That it tomorrow I'm going to Uncle and demand to be sent to ISA!" she yelled into the pillow.

The next day Rin walked into her Uncle's office.

"Uncle!" she said.

"Yes my little Ling what do you need?"

"I want to enter the IS Academy!"

"Well that's not that easy. Why should I?"

"I go rouge and start destroying stuff with my IS."

"So a tantrum with a superweapon?"

"Very much so."

A tense moment passed Rin's Uncle sighed, "Fine but I won't be able to get you in for about two weeks."

"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh by the way." Rin looks cautiously around the room.

"The listening devices are jammed." Her uncle said.

"How goes the progress with the Paladins?"

"Better than I hopped half the generals are on our side and the rest are split."

"Good we'll need that for the future."

"Only thing is that to keep up appearances we are still going to send forces to Africa to fight the coalition."

"I'd bet Ryan and the others are none to happy."

"Oh they'll get over it." Rin's Uncle said waving that thought off.

"Ichika!"

"What Lucy we're on the monorail and currently I being stared down by a horde of girls."

"Put in you head peace so I can talk to you."

Ichika sigh and pulled out a headset to listen to her. He looked around and saw only Japanese students in the train car.

"Can you do Russian Lucy?"

"Of course I helped teach you it." the AI said annoyed.

"So what did you want?"

"Could you sit in the front row of your class if you can?"

"I don't see why not. Is this what you wanted?"

"Well I just thought since you have not done any reading on ISs I'd give you the nickel explanation."

"Ok." Lucy started her talk.

Ichika arrived into his class as Lucy continued her explanation, "So there are only around 500 cores in service right now?" Ichika asked still in Russian.

"Yes and-" Lucy was drowned out by more students walking in. They all took their seats and some small chit-chat to place most having to do with the boy in the room.

"I feel it their eyes drilling into my back." Ichika whispered.

After a little bit of time a teacher walked in she was short, had a dyed green hair (odd for a professional, but who am I to say anything), and was very, very well endowed. Though another oddity about her was that she carried herself like a child or was just that clumsy.

"Hello class I'm Maya Yamada and I am your assistant home room teacher for this year." She looked out to the class room and seemed to clam up with all the eyes on her. "Ok I going to do roll call." She started to do roll.

Ichika looked around the classroom, he had remembered seeing a friendly face earlier. To his left he saw Houki when their eyes meet she gave him a scowl like no one ever got before. 'Well looks like Houki's happy.' Ichika deadpanned to himself.

"Ichika Orimura!" Yamada said loudly.

"Huh? Yes what do you need?" He said, but in Russian oddly. That elicited many stares and giggles from the girl peanut gallery.

"Huh? Nevermind, Mr. Orimura could you please introduce yourself." The women said half startled.

"Yes." now speaking his native tongue. "I am Ichika Orimura, nice to meet you all." he rattled off quickly and nervously.

"Huh glad to see you can function properly." a cold voice said as he finished up. "Thank you Ms Yamada, sorry you had to take roll for the first day."

"No, no Ms Orimura I needed the practice anyways." Ms Yamada said back.

"Chifuyu, you're a teacher." Ichika said genuinely shocked.

"That's Ms Orimura to you." She said to Ichika as she tried to slap him with a black book which he narrowly avoided.

"Huh luck you kid." She growled at him. "Now to introduce my self to the class I am Chifuyu Orimura, you will call me Ms Orimura." That introduction started a frenzy among the vast majority of the girls. From cheer from delight to nearly professing absolute love for Chifuyu they yelled out in happiness. A few like Houki and some blonde girl behind him could careless, Ichika noticed.

Chifuyu leaned toward Yamada and whispered, "Does the Dean just send me all the crazy ones or are they just all like this?"

"You are a legend in the world."

"No those guy's in Africa are, I'm just an ace pilot who won a few trophies."

"Think there's a saying, 'eye of the beholder'?" Maya suggested.

'I can't believe my sister is a teacher here I rarely see her and this of all places is where I see her.' Ichika thought to himself. "pssst Lucy did you know my sister worked here?" he whispered.

"In a round about way yes." Lucy said giggling like soo of the girls around her had done earlier.

Chifuyu turned to Ichika once again "So Ichika do you know how to properly address me?"

"Yes sis." Ichika said of hand to which he dodged another hit only to be smacked down by a stealthy back hand. The force was still enough to send his face into the desk, but luckily the shield prevented any actual damage from being done to him.

A whisper went through the room about Ichika and Chifuyu being siblings. 'Good job you figured it out.' Ichika sighed as he lifted his head of his desk and his aggressive sister went back to the front of the room.

"Ok to start with." Chifuyu yelled to get the classes attention. "You will be memorizing all data pertaining to the IS, and then we will start on practical training. All this will be in conjunction with you normal school work."

Maya then took center stage, "Now to start the IS…" She started into a lecture on the history of the IS.

* * *

Is just getting started. Well I am off to do stuff. Tell me what you think, questions, comments, critiques all are welcome.


	14. Class is in Session

You Lord Qwerty is back with the latest chapter. This chapter was brought to you be the letter l, l'll let you guess what letter it is. (cookies for winner)

This was an easy one to pump out, though i can't say anything about it quality.

* * *

It was break for classes. Most of the girls had gone to one side of the room and started to talk from what Ichika heard it was about himself. He could see girls gathering around the doors looking in to catch a glimpse of him.

"I'm I some sort of attraction?" He wondered out loud. He leaned back in his chair and heard a flurry of voices in reaction. "That's it I'm in hell, I just hope, no I'm not gonna finish that thought."

He closed his eye for a sec and heard a firm step next to him, opening an eye he saw Houki with her standard hostile face that he remember from six years ago.

"Can we talk?" she said curtly. The tension rose even more a the girls listened in for Ichika's response.

Some whispers were heard

"What is she doing?"

"She's beating us."

"I knew I should have made a move."

"Does she know him."

"Darn all our chances just when down."

"How can we compete with her she too bold."

"Hurry we need more stock phrases to fill this bit of the page."

"Sure." Ichika replied trying to show as little emotion as he could. He stood up and lead Houki out the room. The girls parted like the Red Sea as he left the room. The crowd around the room disappeared as Ichika got farther away. The duo made their way up to a rooftop courtyard. Houki walked up to the side railing and Ichika paced behind her.

"So Houki," Ichika started, "It's been nearly a decade what do you want to talk about?"

Houki shot Ichika a surprised look. She blushed a little. 'She seems to have changed her emotion, maybe she mellowed out a bit?'

"Saw that you won the Kendo Tournament." He did not know how to go about talking to his childhood friend, so he improvised by talking about something Dan had told him over the summer.

"How do you know that!" She snapped.

'Nope still the same?' Ichika sigh. 'Though that would not be something I'd normally know, best make up an excuse.' "I read it in the news paper."

"Why would you be looking at a newspaper!?" she said accusingly.

'Damn she saw through that, I never liked the news.' "Well since you put it that way…" Ichika said nervously. 'Damage control time!' "Even though we haven't seen each other in years I still recognize you immediately." He tried to come off cheerfully.

'Really!' Houki thought. 'Er what can I say to continue this flow, her hair yes the hair!' Ichika thought at the same time.

"You still have the same hair style." Ichika beamed.

"Oh really." Houki sounded slightly disappointed and starting to play with her hair. "You don't forget a single detail do you?"

'No, I just remember only the important ones.' "How could I forget about you, your were and are one of my favorite childhood friends." Ichika responded. Houki looked back at him and a silence descended between them.

"So how does it feel?" Houki broke the silence. Ichika cocked his head towards his friend.

"How does what feel?" Ichika asked.

"Being able to use an IS?" Houki said as if it was the most obvious thing. "You know as the only man?"

"Using an IS is amazing, but I could do without some of the side effects." Ichika says motioning to the school around him. "Though so far a bright side of it would be seeing you again."

Houki blushes a bit then, like she was trying to get rid of a thought, she shook her head, " Well we should head back now."

"No kidding if we don't head back now, Chifuyu will probably use that book of hers on us again."

The two friends walked back to the classroom. Ichika started up an internal dialogue. 'Well glad to see Houki again. She was one of my best friend when I was little. I wonder if I could get her to join us? I'll see what her position is on world politics and then run the suggestion by Dan.' Ichika had stopped in his tracks a bit before the door to the classroom.

"Ichika?" Houki asked. "You coming?"

"Uh, yeah just thinking of things." Ichika said back and the stepped into the classroom and sat down in their respective seats just as the bell rang and the other students followed suit.

Later that day in the classroom Miss Yamada was on a roll, she had been teaching and so far she had not stutter or messed up once. 'Yes I am a good teacher, I can do this job.' She thought as she continued explain some of these rule and regulation of use of the IS.

Meanwhile with Ichika it was a different story. 'Lucy I hate you, you told me the basics, but this makes no sense to me too much jargon being thrown around like snow balls.' He glances to the right, 'those girls seem to understand it.' He then glances to his left, 'they seem fine as well. Damn it is just me, that would be my luck.' He sighs and sinks down in his chair.

Now back with Ms Yamada, 'Oh dear, Ichika just slid down in his chair he was paying attention, but now he looks like he has lost hope in something. Oh no what if no one understands it, no not good!' Ms Yamada leaned in towards Ichika and asked him "Mr. Orimura, have any question?"

Ichika look directly at her, 'well bows a good of time as any.' He thought. "Ms Yamada." He started.

"Yes!" She responded a little over zealously.

"I do not understand anything you are saying, you keep throwing around words like they mean something." Ichika sheepishly says.

'Please just tell me it only him.' Ms Yamada thought to herself. "Anyone else having a hard time?" Nothing no peep nor reply.

"Orimura did you read the reference book I left for you?" Chifuyu steps forward out of the corner of the classroom.

"You left a book for–" Ichika had to dodge the black book once more. "Me?"

"Yes I left it in your room on your bed!" Chifuyu said curtly.

"I stayed most of the summer at Dan's remember I told you or you would know if you came home more than twice a month." Ichika fired back, the added on at the end, "Chifuyu."

"You will memorize it in a week or I will put you in a hell from which you can not return." Chifuyu threatened stating her authority.

"You are crazy, a week!" Ichika said surprised. While he was not in the least threatened by Chifuyu's actions, he respected her and the actions she had taken for him. "Fine I'll have it done by Friday."

"The IS is a weapon, children, one that easy can defeat conventional forces. It is far faster and can hold far more powerful weapons than anything out there. Like anything you must know how to use it, for the safely of not only others, but yourselves. These rules, not only the ones in the book, but the ones we will teach you, are vital knowledge that any pilot must know. Now you are rocks just pulled from the ground though after your years here you will be diamonds. Remember every word I say, you may save a life some day." Chifuyu orated. A moment of silence then a roar of cheers came from all the girls.

"Well now it's home room good job killing time." Chifuyu said. "We might as well take care of it now. So the class will participate in an interclass tournament and we need a representative for this class. Any takers?"

"I nominate Orimura!" A voice said from behind him.

'Called it' Ichika thought as many other girls joined in the chant, 'just wait one of the girls won't like this.' Ichika shot a look of worry to Houki and she returned it with a glare. 'Ok, I know she is not angry, but did she have to glare.'

"Uh I don't want to do this." Ichika said to Chifuyu.

"Well too bad you have no say." Chifuyu smirked at him.

"I will get you back for this." Ichika said plainly.

"Love to see you try." Chifuyu whispered back.

"No, no, no I will not stand for this!" A girl in the back said.

'Finally!' Ichika though, 'I need to find a way to make money of this.'

"This kind of post should be given to someone with actual merit." The girl continued. "It quite troubling that the reason we are selecting this one is because he is man and he is different."

'Yes thank you a logical girl, wait no not good.' Ichika thought.

"Besides it would be shameful for us to be led by a boy anyways."

'Knew it, manhater.' Ichika sighed. "I nominate blonde back there."

"Yes exactly, I'm the only one in here with the proper qualifications to be the leader of this class." The girl said. "Only I, Cecilia Alcott, am the proper leader."

"Wait Alcott is your name?" Ichika said. 'Wow I see the resemblance.'

"Yes the one and only." she said proudly. "Unlike you and your petty islands, I come from a noble family and a great land."

"Ok, no England and Japan are basicly the same." Ichika said. 'Well that just happened.'

"How dare you insult me! You worm!" Cecilia glows red with anger. "I challenge you to a duel."

"Fine lets do this." Ichika says taking of the jacket to his uniform. That got some giggle from the girls, which confused Ichika.

"Haha silly this duel isn't with fists, but with ISs." a girl said next to him.

"Oh really." Ichika said putting his jacket back on. "Just for reference how much a handicap will there be?"

"Oh so quick to ask for favors!" Cecilia laughed.

"No for how much I should give you?" Ichika grinned back at her. The girls around him looked shocked.

"Ichika are you sure?"

"Are you serious about this!"

"Men use to be stronger than women, but that was before ISs."

"Yes while a conventionally arm man cannot fight an IS, but man with an IS reestablishes the balance." Ichika declared.

"Well then that's settled I'll just let you know I am the representative cadet for the UK."

"Ok then you look like you can handle yourself so no handicap." Ichika started. "You and me name the time and place."

"I'll handle that you two." Chifuyu interjected. "Next week you two will fight in one of the arenas winner is Class Rep."

Later that day

"Ichika, sorry about this, but you're going to be paired up with someone until we can get a room alone for you." Yamada said.

"The room has a private toilet right?" Ichika asked.

"Er yes?" Ms Yamada said awkwardly.

"Good, that would have been bad, the only other one is in the locker room and that's a nice sprint from here." Ichika said delighted.

"Well here is your room number, 1025." Ms Yamada said. "Curfew starts in about two hours be in your dorm by then or Ms Orimura will get you. Trust me I've seen people get broken by her punishments."

"I wouldn't doubt it, thanks for the advices." Ichika departed from the classroom and headed outside.

"Hey Ichika, do you read?" Dan's voice came through Ichika headset. Ichika hearing his friends voice puts the receiver into his ear.

"Yeah Dan what's up?" Ichika asks as he walks down a pathway.

"Come to the east side of the island I want to hear about your first day."

"Fine I head that way anyways."

The area Dan had said to meet was a little cove on the Academy's island. A boat sat floating in it. Ichika walked down from the main path to the boat. There was a beach to which the boat was moored to and a small fire was going. Two figure stood in the shadows of the flames.

"Ichika, man, good to see you!" Dan said as he walked towards his friend.

"It's only been a day Dan. Well I guess it was a long one." Ichika replied giving his friend's hand a high-five.

"So what's the scoop, get any numbers yet?" Dan grinned.

"No I'm being treated like a rare animal, they look at me from afar and talk about how they are going to try to court me, it really scary to hear." Ichika shivered.

"That bad."

"Well bright side is that I talked to Houki." Ichika reassured.

"Since when is see her a good thing?" Dan asked.

"It more it's good to see an old friend. At least I have someone to talk to." Ichika replied.

"I could alway get a few Russians and break you out and you could go fight in Africa with Ivan, or help Ryan out in America with gathering support." Dan suggested.

"Well you are my lifeline to the organization while I'm here, if we ever get discovered it won't be the healthiest thing for us." Ichika stepped to the right and looked out to the ocean.

"Yeah with those forces that we gained earlier this week, I can start to run operations here in Japan, so I'll be extra careful." Dan said. "Oh yeah how's Lucy holding up?"

"I'm fine." Lucy's avatar appeared as a hologram. "The pendent is very cramped with all the other stuff in it, but I fit. I'll see if I can wonder around the school's main frame and unless they have something stronger than a IS class AI I can go around freely."

"So anything else happen today?"

"I got challenged to an IS battle by Alcott daughter, she rather difficult. Smart, but a pain." Ichika sighed. Ichika looked at his watch and jumped a bit. "Shoot, shoot I need to get to my dorm!"

"What you have a bedtime?" Dan laughed.

"No my sister works here and she is in charge of the freshmen dorms." Ichika said.

"Holy god man run!" Dan said. "Phantom let's get back to base." Ichika waved to his friend a took off into a mad sprint. Ichika ran all the way to the dorms, but when he hit the building doors he entered a mild pace to not garner any attention. He past a group of three girl from his class who he greeted.

"Ooo, his dorms are over here with us!" one said.

"Shh or he'll know we're following him." another said.

"I can still hear you, you know." Ichika said confused.

"Oh well ignore us please." the third asked. Ichika just sighed and continued to look for his room.

"1025." he mumbled repeatedly. "AH! Here it is." Ichika used his card to open the door and walked in glad to be out of the watchful eyes of those girls.

He walked into the room and a voice from the bathroom said, "You must be my roommate take which ever bed you want."

Ichika walked farther in and saw that one bed, the one closest to the window had a bag on it already so he took the other one out of ease. He laid on the bed and closed his eyes. He heard the water in the bathroom shut off. Ichika sat up and turned away from bathroom just incase the girl comes out with just a towel, don't want to have bad blood with someone you just met right.

"Hi I'm Shinonono… Ichika! What are you doing here!" Houki yelled.

Still looking the other direction, "I guess I'm your roommate."

"Who did you bribe to get in here, and turn around and look me in the eyes!"

"Are you decent?" Ichika asked. He heard a bit of shuffling behind him as his answer.

"Yes now turn around." Ichika turned around to see that she had hastily put on her kendo robes.

"Here this is the note I got from Ms Yamada earlier and here is my room card if you want to confirm for yourself." Ichika explained. "To be honest I'm glad it's you, you are the only one to talk to me normally here."

"Well ok, thanks, I guess." Houki's anger seemed to defuse.

'Yay she no longer anger, but have to be careful not to piss her off." Ichika thought with relief.

* * *

Well this chapter matches up pretty closely with source material. I am not a romance writer just so people know. Next chapter Africa.


	15. Earl Gray?

The middle of the night, it is the best time to write, let's continue to fight, the wrongs of the world right.

I don't know what that was. It may be my other voice talking... wait sorry TMI.

* * *

This middle of the night the whole of the dorms were asleep. Well all, but one, the campus' token male student. Ichika had his personal computer open, it was connected to a private network that Lucy had spend a few minutes throwing together. He was working on some paper work for supplies from the other factions.

"This is too much even for me," Ichika yawned with the light of the computer lighting up the room with a soft glow. "I should get Dan to get a secretary."

To the bed next to him Houki shuffled in her bed. "What are you doing Ichika." She drowsily said. "We have to get up early to get the good food." she yawned and turned in the bed again.

"It's ok Houki it's only three in morning good back to sleep."

"Sure," Houki rolled over again and she breathing slowed to the point she was deep asleep.

'She has a point, I'll deal with this tomorrow evening.' Ichika turned off his computer and got comfortable in the bed.

The rest of the night when fast with Ichika waking up at five in the morning like he recognized he was not sleeping in his own bed. Houki slept in the bed next to him with a rare smile on her face.

"Must be a good dream." Ichika murmured. He got dressed for the day and left a note saying he had left early. 'Even though it's still dark out might as well enjoy the air out.' He exited the building after setting a alarm for when Breakfast was to be started. The cooks were suppose to be there by six and have the food ready by six thirty. The time now was five forty, so ichika began to wander and think about the future.

"I can't throw the match with Alcott or that would be a blow to my image, but if she wins by getting a lucky hit in that might work. Though since my IS will include Paladin tech, I will have to be very careful on what I use so I does not become suspicious. Chifuyu would probably blow a gasket if she ever found out what I've been doing. I could wear the stealth suit because of its shield to protect myself if it comes to that." Ichika thought out loud.

"Ichika what are you doing up at this hour." A familiar firm voice asked.

"Hi Chifuyu." Ichika said without looking at her.

"What no love for your sister?" She said her voice almost joking.

That surprised Ichika. He then turned to face her see that she was sitting on a bench "Er no, I love you!"

"Hehe, just giving you a hard time. You would tell me if you had any problems right?"

"Only problems." Ichika responded.

"Good enough for me, here come sit with me." Chifuyu ordered.

"Ok." Ichika walked over and sat next to her.

"So what are you doing up this early, Ichika, you use to never get up this early."

"Well that was about three years ago before you stayed in Germany and started to work here."

"You know I just tring to help your life."

"Yeah, but I want you to get a boyfriend."

"Yeah when you're set then I'll worry about that." Chifuyu smiled.

"Ha the demon woman smiling." Ichika said.

"Another thing, you seem to have grown a backbone."

"I won a fight I thought I could never do." Ichika said.

"I could bet. Well I need to get to the teachers lounge to get Yamada ready for today. She a bright girl, just a little scattered." Chifuyu then turned from the warm sister back to the cold authoritarian teacher. "See you in class Mr. Orimura." She said as she walked off.

"Good to see her like that calm and peaceful. Well I guess by the time I get to the cafeteria food with start to be served." Ichika got up and walk back the way he came. He happened to met up with a few girls that were following him yesterday.

"Ichika!" The one with a fox like clothes said.

"Hey, girls." He greeted back as he walked past them. Houki walked up behind him and tapped him on the back.

"Good morning Ichika." She said happily.

"Oh hi Houki, I'm sorry I left, but I wanted to go for a walk. And you looked too peaceful to be bothered." Ichika said.

"Oh it ok, you want to get some breakfast?"

"Sure."

After getting breakfast they said down and talked while they ate. As the hall filled up with more girls. Ichika could feel the stares coming from the girls.

"It's a good thing I'm not paranoid." Ichika committed.

"Why's that?" Houki asked.

"Their eyes I feel them." Ichika whispered.

"Ah that, I noticed that too."

"I can't think of a way of getting them to stop, while also making it impossible for them to try to help or convert me."

"Those have to be interesting."

"Yeah ones 'I'm gay the other is I'm scared of women."

"Well for the second one why are around me?" Houki asked.

"I could throw out the childhood friend excuse."

"True."

"But then I'll have women throwing themselves at me half dressed saying they want to help me sort through the problem. And while I would not mind that bit, it would get annoying after a while."

"Oh really?"

"This is really good food!" Ichika said as he took another bite. "Oh yeah speaking of good food. Have you called Dan recently?"

"Dan? Oh Dan, no I forgot about him."

"Yeah I know." Ichika said

"Then why did you ask me then?" Houki said slightly enraged.

"He wanted me to tell you that he said 'hi'."

"Oh." Houki calmed down.

Ichika's phone rang out. "Shoot I thought I had this silent!" He answered the phone.

"Ichika!" A happy voice came from the microphone.

"Yes, Kai?"

"See that you got yourself into a duel."

"News travels fast." Ichika deadpans. He turns to Houki, "Sorry about this I need to take this call in private."

"Oh ok." She sounded a little sad. "See you in class then."

Ichika walked out of praying ears and made sure he was not followed.

"What do you need Kai?"

"Just want to let you know that the you IS frame will be ready by Monday."

"Oh goody just enough time to slap around Alcott daughter."

"So that's who you're in a fight with!" Kai faked gasped

"Now don't start gossiping to Ryan about this."

"Don't worry. Alcott will find out anyways, you're going to hurt his precious daughter that he hasn't seen in like ten years." Kai reassured.

"He probably has someone watching her at all times." Ichika said.

"What make you think that?"

"There was a cup of Earl Gray in the front of my room." Ichika said.

"Oh well look at it this way at least it's not Dimitri coming after you, he'd leave a molotov cocktail and a zippo at your door." Kai joked.

"So will the IS frame have my standard arms?"

"Yes along with the IS's special weapon."

"You said something about it being anti-IS."

"Yep, but you'll have to find out on Monday." Kai said.

"I've got to be getting to class not thanks for the time filler." Ichika said.

"Ok no problem, I never have anything to do here. Wait remember that girl you fought in our testing arena?"

"A little. That was around a year ago I think." Ichika scratched his head.

"She should be a student in your year it you want to see her."

"Got it I'll add that to my list of tasks for today." Ichika hung up and started toward his classroom.

'Huh.' Ichika though as he sat in class. 'I still need to get my IS frame. Kai said that it did not have the same capabilities as an IS though. I hope that it's not to different that what were going over or it will be a hard learning curve.'

Ichika turn to his left and saw Houki diligently listening and taking note. 'Well it good to see her. She is a good friend, but it would be bad if she ends up on the wrong side of this fight. I don't think I could fight her due to our relations.'

Out of instinct he dodge to the right, but was blindsided by the black book. "Seems you paying attention Ichika." His sister-teacher said with her authoritarian voice. "Why don't you just give us a little explanation about what we just read in the book?"

'Lucy?'

'Er it was something about the IS and Dr. Shinonono.' The AI responded.

'Helpful.'

'Sorry helping Kai out with calculations, was not fully connected to you.'

'Ok.' "There are around 500 IS cores in the world and all were made by Dr. Shinonono, how currently will not tell how to make more, so there are very few cores to go around." Ichika quickly thought up.

"Surprising that was on the next page." Chifuyu raised an eyebrow.

'Sorry Ichika!'

'Sigh, it's ok Lucy.'

"Yes so having your own IS is a very special thing, an honor given only to the most hard working and the best that the country has to offer. Though to someone like our own Ichika is an special case wrapped up in a conspiracy." Chifuyu said.

"Wait so Ichika's getting his own IS!" A girl asked.

"Yes it will be here it time for his and Alcott's duel." Chifuyu explained.

"Wow so cool."

"He's only been doing things with an IS for about three month right?"

"Soooo jealous."

The class descended into incessant chatter about Ichika getting a IS. Though for some reason Chifuyu just stood back and watch the chaos unfold.

"Ichika at least when we fight you can't complain about using weaker equipment." Cecilia said with a hint of malous.

"I could beat you with out an IS I just need one of those guns the African's are using." Ichika said then immediately cover his mouth.

"Eh?" That line caught the girls attention.

"What do you mean a gun that can beat an IS?" The British girl asked. The girls all snapped their eyes to the token man.

"Ichika that kind of information is not out for the public where did you learn it?" Chifuyu gave a cold, hard glare.

'Help!'

'Idea Ichika.'

'What hurry!'

'Kuromochi!'

"Kuromochi!" Ichika yelled out. Chifuyu's looks soften.

"Yes you worked at Kuromochi for the past few years." Chifuyu said neutrally.

"Sorry I didn't know that was need to know information." Ichika apologised.

"What is Ichika talking about?" The girls ask.

"Ichika you would know more than I." Chifuyu said.

"It works by shooting electromagnetically charged shots at the IS's shield and weakening them that way." Ichika says watching what he says.

"How big is the weapon?" Houki asked. The girls looked at her because it was the first time she had asked something during class.

"Cecilia how big would you say the rifle of your IS is?" Ichika asked.

"How do you know what my IS is?" She said shocked.

"Alcott International bought the plasma technology from Kuromochi back when you father was in charge." Ichika said.

"What! My mother was in charge of the company!" Cecilia said angrily.

"Oh, well forget I said that."

"Special weapon or IS I'll still beat you." Cecilia said with a grin.

"We'll see on Monday." Ichika grinned.

"You still don't see the wall you're heading into, the difference to just to big for you to grasp." Cecilia said.

"Hey is our Shinonono related to Dr. Shinonono?" A girl asked breaking the tension.

"Why don't you asked her for yourself?" Chifuyu says passing Yamada a bag of chips hastily.

"I would prefer not to discuss my sister!" Houki said with hostile tone.

"Ok that ends class for now." Chifuyu say ending all discussion. "Go to lunch." The student start to file out. Houki sits in her seat stewing in her own anger.

Ichika walks over to her. "Houki let's get something to eat."

No response.

'Lucy boost my strength in my right arm.'

'Roger.' Ichika pulls Houki out of her seat and stands her up on her feet.

'Done.'

"Come on food." Ichika says as he drags Houki along. She walked rather robotically.

"Come on, let's good Houki." Ichika said and Houki broke her forlorn look. She looked rather happy.

They entered the cafeteria and grabbed their food and sat down.

"Houki I do have an ulterior motive for having lunch with you."

"And what would that be?"

'Well I can just say I want to spend time with you to see where your loyalties lie.' Ichika thought. 'Oh idea!' "Could you teach me about the IS, as you know I very far behind Cecilia in terms of knowledge of the machine."

"Sure, gladly!" Houki said with a smile. 'Now I have an excuse to be with Ichika and help him out. Yay happy day!'

"Ichika?" The girl with fox ears said as she and her two friends that were following him yesterday came up to them. "Can we sit with you?"

"Houki do you mind?" Ichika asked earnestly.

"Huh, no not at all." Houki was still in bliss world about helping Ichika out so she could careless about a few girls that talked to him with no lust in their voices. The girls weren't able to respond before and older student came up to Ichika and sat on the tables.

"So you're the boy of the rumour."

"No. Not at all, did you know I'm a woman in disguise?" Ichika said back effectively breaking the poor girl train of thought.

The older girl saw right through that one, thought the fox-girl and company got a kick out of it "Er well I heard you were facing a Rep Cadet."

"That is true though."

"How long have you use an IS anyways." She asked. In the background Houki had broken from her dream world and was fuming. The older girl was trying to show off her looks and putting the moves on Ichika.

'Is that the best she can do? Damn Rin can do a better honey pot and she has less assets that this one.' Ichika sighed. "If this is about you helping me learn how to use an IS thank you, but no. My good friend Houki Shinonono said that she will teach me." Houki smiled at that.

"Oh Shinonono! Well it seems, I'm not need here, I'll just leave then."

"So cool Ichika." Fox-girl said. 'I really need to learn her name.'

"Yeah I thought she was going to seduce you for a minute." One of the other girls said.

"Well looks are not what I after in a girl, they only make the package better." Ichika said sitting back in his chair.

"What kind of girl is that?"

"Let me think, well to start with not actively trying to get me is a helpful start. I need to know you first before I'll even think about it. So currently the top of the list would be Houki and oddly enough Alcott. Then you three would round out the list so far."

"I'm on top of the list." Houki whispers to herself.

"What was that Houki?"

"Er after classes I want to see you fighting skills, meet me in the dojo on the north side of the island."

"Ok sure. That's a date!"

"Ok Ichika are you ready?" Houki asked. The two were in the dojo ready to duel.

"Sure I don't remember too much of Kendo though." 'I don't remember any of it due to the fighting style we adopted for Paladin.'

Houki charged Ichika who side stepped her attack. She turned around and waved her sword, but Ichika continued to dodge it. Ichika used so of his acrobatic skills ie his thruster to jump over Houki.

'Forgot I can't use those yet.'

"Nice jump Ichika." Houki complemented. "Though I wonder why you haven't tried to hit me yet."

"No openings?"

"No there have been plenty, now come at me Ichika!" Ichika charged her, but at the last second sidestepped around her and hit her back.

"Ow." Houki said.

"You ok?" Houki's response was to swing her sword straight at his face luckily he dodged it as well.

"So lets go first to three hits." Ichika suggested remembering his battle with a IS.

"Sounds good." Houki said while jamming her sword into Ichika midsection.

"One to one?" Ichika asked. Houki slashes wide this time and lands a hit.

"No, two to one." Houki dodges Ichika counter. Ichika fumble his sword for a second and hits Houki's leg.

"Two to two too?" Ichika says.

"Ok one hit left." Houki says as they go into a pairing frenzy. Each side pulls out every move they have. Until they both end up on the floor panting and gasping for air.

"You may suck at Kendo, Ichika, but you certainly have stamina."

"I have reach you have flexibility." Ichika says between breaths.

A few girls we watching from the door. "Wow he fought her to a stand still."

"He must be pretty strong to do that." The girls left then to got spread the news.

"Ichika?"

"Yes Houki?"

"If you train with me I teach you everything my sister showed me about the IS."

"Deal."

"Phantom are you sure this is the right place?" Dan asks.

"Yes, double checked, spy inside." Phantom said

"Ok so let me get this straight to test out a vehicle we are going to be deploying in Africa I am going to be dropping into a fully armed military base inside said vehicle and levelling the place?"

"Yes, then you eject from vehicle, I get you with dropship, we fly off."

"Ok so what am I driving?"

"The HMRK-23 Anti IS tank." Lucy answers for Phantom.

"OooOoooOoooo sound fancy!" What does it do?"

"It has two main cannons, a coaxial machine gun, and something we nicknamed the IS shreder." The AI explains.

"So how many will be need to pilot it?" Dan asks.

"Three, driver, gunner, commander. You will be the commander."

"So the part of the tank we are in ejects out so that Phantom can get us."

Phantom nods to that.

"Let me grab a few recruits and get this started."

That was two hours ago.

"Ok this was a bad idea. Phantom don't drop us please."

"Sorry can't good luck." The tank falls and slams into the ground.

"What was that," a soldier asked.

The dust cleared and the tank started it rampage. In under five minutes half of the base was destroyed.

"This thing is nice!" Dan said. "Just keep firing you guys." He ordered his crew.

The base was set up with a hill in the middle of it. So naturally in this chaos Dan orders them to jump the hill to attack the other side of the base. They jump and land on top of a tank coming to oppose them it's buddies open fire, but the shell just bounce right off the armour. One by one the enemy tanks are taken out. The base itself is in shambles.

"I say it's in the books Phantom come pick us up."

"Roger."

Greenhorn was not a happy soldier today. He was separated from his squad, while he could handle that, what he could not handle was being pinned down by three and he mean three IS and a support platoon. He was trapped on a hill with mortars coming down on him. He had damaged one of the ISs and hit another. He just did not have enough ammo to deal with all of these guys.

A break in the fighting. "This is the commander of the Platoon that has you pinned. Surrender now, you are over twenty mile behind the lines, you allies are on the run. The UN has taken the Central African Republic!"

"He lies I know he does." Greenhorn thought to himself. "I know my allies are just beyond that hill ready for my signal to wipe them all out."

"You have ten minutes to reply." The UN Commander said. "Or the IS go in."

"Ten minute that long enough for a nap. I'll take your challenge." Greenhorn closed his eyes and pressed a button.

* * *

Handing out cookies if you see the reference I'm thinking of, and a half if it was one I not.


	16. Suit up and Jump in

*Sigh* Got it done. Well steamin' plate of words ready for your hungry eyes

* * *

"Dan where are we going?"

"Ran you said you wanted to join me right?" The brother and sister were walking though a commercial complex.

"Yes. You said Ichika was win this group as well." She nodded.

"Correct, but due to the fact he is in school he can't lead us so I was put in charge."

They come up to a building, opening its door they walked.

"Ah Mr. Gotanda welcome back, I see you have brought a guest, would you like to use conference room 9?" A secretary walked up and asked.

"No, no it's too small." Dan replied.

"Excellent, today's code is 925601." The secretary walked off.

"Brother...?" Ran gave Dan an odd look.

"Ok to the elevator." Dan walked off with Ran trailing confused. They enter the elevator and Dan presses a down button.

"What are you doing?" Ran asked.

"Oh just heading down to our base."

"Just what are you and Ichika into!?"

A panel opened up and a digit pad appeared. Dan then pressed 106529. It blinked green and the panel closed.

"Just keep you questions till the end of the tour." Dan said.

"When did you become this cool?" Ran asked in disbelief. "You're nothing like this at home."

"I've been taking acting lessons from a friend of mine."

"Who?"

"Don't know his real name, called Phantom by most, quiet guy around most people, can barely speak around Ichika."

"Why?"

"Don't know, original he was lent to us by the Russians." Dan said off hand. The elevator doors opened and two people walked in. One was hold a box and the other was fully armed. Ran shred away from the armed man.

"Dan, you decide to bring your sister here." The man with the box asked.

"Yep, she'll probably join after the tour."

"Aww, Doc said he wanted to try out his forget-o-ray on someone."

"Ok next time a Phantom Task agent decides to try to get in here she'll be the first subject." Dan laughs.

"I though weapons division got first dibs..." The armed man asked.

"You get to play with their toys." Dan said back. The door opened once again and the brother and sister got off. "Nice guys those two, just wish I could remember their names."

They went down a set of winding corridors, they did this to the point of Ran thinking they were lost. Until Dam steps through a doorway that leads to a control room. Ran hesitantly follows him.

"Hey Lucy," Dan says to a computer.

"Brother that is a computer, it's not going to answer you." Ran said getting slightly nervous for him.

"I my be a program, but do not put me on the same level as one of these lowly machines!" Lucy yells as her avatar appears. There are others in the control room, but they go on business as usual.

"Sorry my sister, is new to this."

"Oh this is your sister." Lucy zoomed over and examined Ran.

"Yep look's like ya." Lucy says.

"*sigh* I am here to give a tour to her so she can join."

"Yay more people!" Lucy danced around sometimes going through people.

"Dare I ask." Ran starts. "What do you guys do here."

Dan and Lucy glance at each other. "Er," Lucy started.

"We kind of." Dan stutters.

"How do I put this..." Lucy taps her fingers together.

"We are fighting against..."

"Against what, the system, people, tyranny?" Ran tried to throw a bone.

"The IS and the system built around it." Dan tries to say delicately.

"Oh ok just that... Wait the IS, as in Tabane's IS, the cores she built."

"Yes." Dan said.

"Why!?"

"We have a better way."

"You guys must be crazy, conventional armed people cannot fight an IS." Ran said as if the two in front of her were idiots.

"We don't use normal weapons..." Dan said.

"Yeah do we look normal, one third of the people in this conversation are not even human."

"You're not a human?"

"Duh, you call us crazy, I'm a bonafide AI." Lucy puffed out her holographic chest.

"Wha..." Ran's mind is spinning. From her view, she see her brother, a person that she normally associated with laziness, as the leader of a fifth column resistance cell. And his second in command is a sci-fi grade AI. And around him people older than him are taking orders from him.

"Ran, you ok?"

"Maybe we should take her to the sickbay." Lucy suggested.

"I am so glad it's a Saturday." Dan sighed.

Later that day in a conference room, Dan and Ran sat across from each other. Lucy had shrunk her self down and made a holographic chair to sit on top of the table.

"So let me get this straight," Ran started. "You're a part of a faction of a group called Paladin."

"Yes."

"And you mission is to dethrone the IS as the strongest weapon of war?"

"Yes."

"And Ichika and you have tested out the prototype equipment and have done missions for this group."

"Yes."

"And so this organization is connected to the War in Africa."

"We started it." Lucy chimed in.

"And you want me to join due to a test result you some how got a hold of."

"One of our agents keeps an eye on IS users and their ranks and sis an 'A' flashes at us like red lights." Dan said.

"Really?"

"Well on a technicality these agents were absorbed into our group about a two-ish weeks ago."

"So my job would be?"

"You will receive a training and an modified IS frame, and join Ichika at ISA next year."

"Modified?"

"It does not need a Tabane manufactured core." Dan answered.

"How?"

"I just went inside a core and figured out how it works and helped the boys at Kuromochi build a prototype." Lucy answered. "Our allies are already receiving them."

"So is Ichika going to get one of these ISs?"

"No he get a different mod. While is still has a Tabane made core, he has a prototype, like the original IS core that will work in array with the main core."

"So dual core?" Ran asked.

"Pretty much."

"You know what brother,"

"What is it sister?"

"We need a better name for the coreless ISs."

"Any ideas?"

"Battleframes."

"I like it." Dan nodded.

"So when do I start?" Ran asked happily.

"Oh just one more thing you remember Rin right?" Dan asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Well she's with us as well, right now she working for the Chinese faction."

"Why did you think that is necessary to tell me all of this?"

"Exposition." Dan said firmly.

"So this whole bit of me being here is because we need so sort of time filler for the main story?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's cracking." Lucy said worriedly.

"I'm just kidding, it's not like we're in a book or a television show."

Lucy and Dan exchanged looks.

"Ok, to answer your earlier question you start next week." Dan said.

"Why that long?"

"We need to get your Battleframe ready. I do like how that sounded, Lucy tell everyone that's what we are calling them."

"Got it." Lucy's hologram faded away.

"Sister, life has just gotten more interesting..." Dan smiled as he leaned back in his chair.

"Ok Ichika are you ready?" Houki asked. The two had ended up in the kendo dojo once again, a few other girls had gathered from the kendo club itself and from their class to watch the duel.

"Your really want a clear winner don't you." Ichika asks. 'Ok Lucy shut down all movement assistance modules.'

'Rodger... complete.'

"Answer the question." Houki sighed.

"I'm going to go with sure." And with that line the duel began. Houki wasted no time in pressing the advantage, unknown to her Ichika was much weaker without help.

'What the... he is incredibly much slower today.' Houki though. Though what Ichika did have going for him was his solid defence, he had enough brute strength to deflect most blows.

"Ichika you better not be going easier on me." Houki said with an annoyed tone.

Paring a hit Ichika responds, "Hey, I'm just a normal human, never was really good at this anyways." Houki's retort was to smash her sword towards him even harder.

'Ichika.'

'Lucy if you can't see I'm in the middle of a duel.'

'And you're losing, because you relied too heavily on the jump jets and thrusters.'

'Haha,' Ichika roll to dodge being hit and roll around Houki putting her on the defencive. A few girls cheered to this while a few were sad saying they like seeing Ichika "dominated" by a girl.

'So what do you need?' Ichika asks as he presses his advantage.

'What color do you want the trim of you IS to be gold or blue.'

"What." He says out loud for all to hear, "You call me for that!?" Ichika pulled an earbud out of his left ear and throw it off to the side.

"Ichika?" Houki asks stopping mid swing. The girls look at him with interest.

"Let's just say you have my full attention, continue." Ichika rolled back to dodge Houki's incoming blow.

"You were talking to someone during our fight?" Houki asks.

"Sorry I thought it was important."

"No, this fight is." She started to attack wildly.

'Shit, Lucy restore 50% of my thrusters.'

'...'

Ichika looks, to where he through the earbud and in the middle, of a dodge from Houki's sword he sighed. Ichika was put back on the defencive blocking each hit that came in. His fatigue was still low, but Houki looked like she was starting to strain herself with her wild hits.

"Houki calm yourself, you can't win when you are frenzied." Ichika said. Houki and Ichika jumped back to the point where they were at opposite ends of the dueling area. Houki took a deep breath and seemed to focus herself. Ichika on the other hand stood ready to defend himself. Houki took a breath and then collapsed due to fatigue.

"Houki?" Ichika ran over to Houki. He checked and tried to figure out her state. Her breathing was stable and she was just tired.

"Well you and Houki did go for nearly an hour." A girl pointed out.

"Ichika you seem fine though." Another commented.

'Probably shouldn't say I am a highly trained stealth agent.' "Eh, I just better I hiding it, I'm beat tired." Ichika said offhand.

"Ok, do you need help?" The girl asked.

"Na, I'll just stay here until she wakes up."

A few of the girls begin to walk out of the room. "You know you're one cool guy." The girl said.

"Oh really, why do you say that?" Ichika cocked his head at her.

"For starters, you seem to care for everyone on some level, you are resistant to some of the crap the girls put up, and best part is." She looked around really fast. The only people left in the room where the girl, Houki and Ichika. A little light fizzed from around her, it was a hologram. The figure reformed into, Rin.

"Rin what the hell are you doing here aren't you suppose to be in China running things out there." Ichika asked.

"Oh announce it to the world." Rin joked. "Need to tell you that I will be joining you in going to school here."

"When?" Ichika asked happily.

"Oh after your match with Alcott's daughter."

"You know about that?" Ichika scratched his head.

"I infiltrated yesterday and that was the first thing I heard." Houki began to stir. "I had better go, but reinforcements are coming, don't die just yet." Rin giggled as she faded into the background and left.

"Hmmmm..." Houki moaned.

"Hey, Houki wakey, wakey." Ichika poked her.

"Huh?" She said bewildered. In her mind she was in overdrive, 'what just happened? Did Ichika just win by attrition? What if he thinks I weak? What if..." She was brought out of this stupor when Ichika knocked on her helmet.

"Anyone home?"

"Er, Ichika?"

"Good you awake, we're still in the dojo. You had fainted mid battle, you were out for a good tenish minutes."

Houki struggles to get up and uses her sword to support herself. "I'm going to go change..." She weakly hobbled over to the changing room. She changed as quickly as her tired arms allowed her to and when she came back Ichika was ready to go as well. He seemed to even had enough time for a phone call to which he was just getting off of.

"Ready to get back to the room?" He asked.

"Yeah." Houki said still a little drowsy. 'How is he still going at after all this' she wonders. She to a step forwards and nearly fell over her feet.

"That fight took a lot out of you." Ichika noted.

"I'm a national champion and I still could not beat you." Houki said sadly.

"If we were in a real match you would have won, remember I was not really using kendo." Ichika reassured her. She was still a little wobbly, and Ichika to help her put her into a fireman's carry.

"You know there are better ways of doing this." She groaned.

"Yeah this was the first thing that came to my mind." Ichika said.

"Sure..." Houki said with a tired sigh.

"So..."

"So what Ichika?"

"You think I'll be able to face the Brit?"

"Eh... Why not you beat me with ease you probably wipe the floor of that girls."

"Thanks."

"..."

"Uh Houki?"

"zzzz". She had fallen asleep on his back.

"One more day until I get my frame."

The next day.

"Ichika! It's here." Ms Yamada came running up to him and Houki who he was talking to.

"Miss Yamada, breath. In, out, in, out, now hold it." Yamada followed his directions to the tee.

"Ichika..." Chifuyu walked up next to him. "She is your elder respect her."

"It's here. Your IS is here." Yamada blurted out.

"I'd say it actually looks like normal Sci-fi level power armour, not freaky tech like normal ISs." Chifuyu muttered.

"So where is it?" Ichika asked.

"Waiting for you in the arena, Ms Alcott is already there getting ready herself." Chifuyu reports.

They traveled to the pit area where the IS was to be. Waiting with it were Kai and two technician setting up some equipment.

"Kai!" Ichika said to his friend and comrade in arms.

"Ichika I present to you the first and only of it's kind the Battleframe class IS: Byakushiki!" Kai waked his hands in the general direction of the IS.

"Battleframe?" Ichika asked.

"Dan's group's idea, some girl named Ran." Kai said offhand.

"At first you can only use the Battleframe modules and then when the computer is able to fully optimize it you can bring out the IS and then that will optimize into it's first shift. Than it is fully useable." Kai explained.

"Wait what is the battleframe?" Houki asked.

"A Kuromochi speciality, a IS without the IS core. Kind of a power armour instead of an exoskeleton." Kai careful explained. "Ichika tried one on before and came up with the idea to combine the two and use the IS to power it."

"I feel safer with the extra protection." Ichika said as he went over to the frame. The frame was basically the IS with a full suit of armour plating on the body.

"Oh yeah it doesn't had the antigravity wings most IS have instead it has a jet thrusters to maneuver it." Kai added.

"And I won't be able to fly until the IS part come online..."

"Yeah..." Kai responded.

"Well no time like the present." Ichika began to put on his Battleframe.

"Ichika aren't you forgetting something?" Houki asked.

"Huh?"

"Your pilot suit she means" Chifuyu added.

"Don't need it I can wear whatever I want with this." Ichika said.

"Yeah he's right." Kai backed him up. "That's just another thing about the Battleframe."

"Ok I'm ready to launch." Ichika said. "These do have the jump jets right?"

"Yep." Kai responded. Ichika in the armour began to run out of the pits and on to the platform that the ISs launch from.

"I'm off." Ichika flipped off the platform into the arena below where Cecilia was waiting like a boss in a video game.

* * *

*Loading next scene...

*Error scene not found

*Suggestion yell angrily at computer (or just leave)

*Update: scene will be in next chapter

* * *

Ok, so if you did not understand how Ichika's IS will be working here's a simple guide

It has a power armour base that needs user data to activate and use the IS fully.

The armour comes from its own source (the pendent core) and the IS still comes like in the show.

When he puts it on he is putting on the power armour and then the IS goes over it.

So to activate his IS he need to activate his power armour first.

Any question please ask and tell me how you think the story is going.


	17. In 'Game' Fighting

So I felt bad where I left of my story in the last chapter so here's the next installment.

* * *

'Slow descent!'

Ichika landed in the arena thrusters slowing his descent. Alcott hovering on the other side waiting and watching.

"Ha, as I thought you are weak, you can't even show up in a fully operational IS." she laughed.

'Activating systems. Welcome to the IS-Battleframe Head Up Display Interface.'

'Lucy is that you.'

'Not exactly, I am a fragment of Lucy created for the sole purpose of running and maintaining this frame. Though you may still call me Lucy.'

'So before the battle starts what do I have.'

'Let me check… a EMP battle rifle, an auto turret, radar and visual jammer, and an electronic warfare suite. Would you like me to begin infiltrating the Blue Tears mainframe and core?'

'Sure, but be careful we don't know how advanced her IS core AI is.'

'Rodger. Alert battle has begun activation of defence measures commencing.' Ichika's shield flared to life.

"Now naive boy dance to the tune that I and the Blue Tears are making." Cecilia fires of a volley of shots. Ichika as able to avoid most of them, but is clipped by the tail end of it.

'Warning Blue Tears is using Plasma Rounds, heavy damage to shields.'

'Give me my rifle.' Ichika's rifle materializes in his hands.

"Oh so you want to play that game?" She yells to him. She fires off another few round that he is able to avoid this time. He responds with his own fire pinging of her shields.

'Minimal damage, turning up amperage of round.' Ichika fire again, but is to slow because Cecilia has already flown away.

"I've seen French with better shooting skills than you." Alcott yells.

"You worse than a video game boss tone down the catcalls." Ichika mutters back. Suddenly four bits detach themselves from Alcott's IS and began to fly around forcing Ichika to stay on the move or be shot.

"Take that you idiot!" Alcott yelled down to him. Ichika continued to dodge the fire from the bits, but noticed that Alcott was not moving. He shot at her and that forced the bit to retreat back to her before she was able to dodge.

"What a glaring flaw!" Ichika laughed at her.

"At least I can fly." She yelled back.

'Ichika I have infiltrated her systems, but her AI is on the hunt for me what command would you like me to issue?' Lucy reported

"Can you really fly?" Ichika coyly asked. Alcott returned with a confused look. 'Lucy drop her.'

'Affirmative.' Alcott's IS fell straight into the ground. A small crater had formed where her IS landed. Ichika moved closer to investigate is see Alcott's condition. From the dust cloud that was created from the fall a burst of plasma fire as struck Ichika and he went down.

In the observation area Chifuyu, Yamada, Houki and Kai watched the battle.

"Ichika!" Houki yelled when she saw the volley of plasma hit him.

"Calm down," Chifuyu said cooly. "He still has shields so the match is still on."

Kai was looking at a datapad and smurked. "The kid has 87% optimization for his IS."

"What exactly does that mean?" Yamada asked.

"Means his IS will soon activate for him to use."

"So the Battleframe alone is almost enough to beat an IS!?" Houki asked surprised.

"No no no, in one on one combat the IS will win. ISs had more maneuverability." Kai answered. 'That's not to say it won't give it a good run for it money.' he thought.

Back on the field Ichika was able to get out of his daze, the dust had already cleared. Alcott's IS was starting to float again, but not as high as before. Alcott herself looked a bit dazed as seen by her bits moving around lazily.

'What in the world just happened?' Alcott though. 'System diagnostic… huh? The anti-gravity wings when out? How? My sensors are either down or running a limited capacity. Impossible, but that's the only thing that could of happened. He hacked me, the little shit hacked me. But the bigger question is how...'

She noticed that Ichika was getting back up, but her Starlight was too damaged by the fall. 'All I have left is my sidearm and my melee weapon and to top it off I only have 200 shield points left. Bright side he should have less.'

"Oi Alcott." Ichika yelled at the girl.

"You're still alive?" She said backed up by false bravado.

"Are you ok, that fall looked like it hurt." Ichika asked earnestly.

"Thanks for worrying about little old me, though a better thing is can you still fight?" Cecilia asked.

"Oh if you think that's all I have your wrong."

"So it was you that hacked me." Alcott yelled angrily.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Houki said in the observation room. "You can hack ISs?"

Kai wore a toothy grin until he had to dodge a smack from Chifuyu.

Chifuyu sighed. "Kai was on the IS project during the beginning phases, so he is a bit intimate with them." She said of hand.

"My sister never mentioned you before." Houki asked.

"I was just an undergraduate during that time period, I would be the faceless guy in the background getting coffee." Kai joked.

"So what do you think his chances are?" Yamada asked.

"His being too overconfident, look at his hand he clenching it. I've seen this before he's bound to make a mistake." Chifuyu stoicly said.

"I'd normally agree with the older sister's assessment," Kai said. "But the kid's done better with less."

"Er yeah, kind of need every advantage I need." Ichika responded to Alcott comment.

"Well you have lost your gun." Alcott said. Ichika's gun was a pile of ash next to him. "So I'd say we're even." Alcott takes out her pistol sidearm.

"Oh you're going close range eh?" Ichika take out a little box. "Let's just take care of those pesky bits first." Alcott's bits had already begun to charge him and Alcott joined in the fire. Ichika then through the box past the charging bits as he himself began to jump backward to avoid the first volley of plasma from both the bits and Alcott.

"What do you British have some sort of love with plasma?" he asked.

"I don't know." Alcott said back, "This is what the egghead came up with." It was then the box had landed and a turret about the size of a car tire popped out and was covered by a shield it opened fire on both Cecilia and her bits. Cecilia ordered the bits to fight the turret while she focused on Ichika.

Ichika's Battleframe began to glow and took on a more IS style look with hover packs on each side. New data flowed to Ichika's head.

'Alert IS 'Byakushiki' has activated, you now have access to this IS' weaponry and abilities.'

'Cool.' Ichika thought. The glow began to dim before it flared up again.

'Alert 'First Shift' activated new abilities and weapon's online.'

'Wait what?' Ichika thought. He went through the list of the new weapons he has and the new abilities. The short list is Jet Thrusters that increase his mobility and give him limited flying abilities, a sword that's name slightly reminded him of the one his sister used to use, and the sword's interesting ability called Reiraku Byakuya, in short it bleeds the enemy of their energy at the cost of his own.

"Guh!" Cecilia yelled as her bit finally finished of the turret. "What do you have now?" she said annoyed. She sicked her bits on Ichika who blured out for a few seconded and a bit blew up. He dematerialized with a sword in his hand.

"That's impossible you can move that fast. This isn't some cartoon." Alcott said nervously.

"Cloaking tech!" Ichika laughed. He disappeared again and knocked out another bit. Alcott retreated the remain two bits back up to her.

"How in the hell can you still fight?" Alcott asked getting nervous. Her battles before ended far faster than this and worst of all she actual might lose this fight and to a man at that. That scared her most of all.

"I'm just that tenacious." He said as he begun an attack run on her. This time he openly boosted towards her lofty position in the air without going invisible.

"Oh hell no!" Alcott cried out nervously, "I will not lose to you."

'Warning missile lock on!' Two missile came straight at Ichika and hit him dead on, stopping him in his tracks.

'Alert leave the battlefield immediately, shield are no longer online.' Ichika continue to hover while reading the message

"HOW ARE YOU STILL THERE!" Alcott screamed. It was official she had lost it. Though she had training, most of her battles had taken up to ten minutes to finish this battle had elapsed forty minutes. Battle fatigue that Ichika had during his operations for Paladin no longer affected him. But the stress of it all crushed Alcott using her side arm and her remaining bits she opened fire on Ichika.

"Ichika get out of there." Chifuyu yelled.

"I think I can calm her down." he responded and before she could respond Ichika had phased out and Cecilia went deeper into a frenzy. He reappeared behind her and knocked her out causing her IS to disappear leaving only it's pilot. Ichika then smoothly glided to the ground.

Later after the battle the medics checked out both Ichika and and Cecilia. Cecilia had minor injuries, while Ichika on the other had a bad limp and major pain in each leg. To help him to walk he activated the lower part of his IS to support him.

"Ichika?" Cecilia asked meekly. "Are... are you ok?"

"I'm fine I've faced worse." He responded. There was that one time where Rin… Ichika pushed that memory out of him mind. "And congratulations on you win."

"I won?" Cecilia said weakly.

"Yeah before I knocked you out and before you went wild, your missile took out my shields." Ichika said back quite impressed.

"You… you were hurt because of my over focus on winning, I'm sorry truly I am." Alcott said remorsefully.

Ichika and Houki were out strolling later that day. Ichika had healed up a bit thanks to a serum Kai had given him. He can walk with limited help now, so Houki was supporting him.

"You heavier than you look you know." Houki said.

"And if I said that to you, you would get angry at me and go on a ten day diet." Ichika laughed in response.

"So how do you feel about losing the fight." Houki asked.

"A little sad nothing else." He answered.

"Why did you stay to help her instead of leaving."

"That part is a secret." Ichika said. 'Because it's Rodger's daughter and I owed the guy.' he thought.

"What is she on your list of romance options?" Houki asked.

"Wait did you just make that joke!?" Ichika said confused.

"Hehehe." she giggled and started to run off to which Ichika gave chase at his limping pace.

Houki had stopped at a bench and sat down when Ichika finally caught up to her.

He tapped her shoulder saying, "You're it," before collapsing onto the bench. There was silence for a bit before Ichika continued. "I need more practice using the IS."

"I could help." Houki respond.

"Are you sure, I don't want to cut away from your free time."

"Well I guess you could ask someone like your sister or a senior, I'm am sure they would help you."

"Well, Chifuyu is busy and I am uneasy around the other girls besides you and maybe Alcott, but I trust you more."

"Do, you want me to teach you?" Houki asked nervously.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

So that hurtle was passed. I just will get better (or worst) from here on out

As I reread and look over the IS story line the more I think it's just a world where feminists took over by force of arms, take that how you will.


End file.
